Take the Pieces Build them Skywards
by xTransparent.like-the-skyx
Summary: Maybe if I can take the pieces... and rebuild them... I can bring everyone back together again ..." Based off of opinion and speculation. An "If I owned KH..." fic. SPOILERS Main character: Sora. Main pairing: Tequa. Chapter IX is up!
1. Chapter I

_Take the Pieces - Build them Skywards_

* * *

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney, nor Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation theories based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

* * *

::Broken Fragments::

It was an early morning. The ocean waves brushed against the mainland of the Destiny Islands, a crisp, fresh sensation lingered in the air as the tide retreated back into endless blue. The sun was just rising, bringing new life to the day. The plants, the people, even the seagulls woke sooner than the normal hour. But for one resident in particular, this was more than any ordinary day.

_Sora_

The young, spikey-haired brunet stood at the very edge of the mainland, his gaze fixated on the far-off Island he knows only too well. He can hear the footsteps of his childhood companion, Riku, off in the distance, coming closer and closer as his mind wanders.

_There are still sad people out there… and they're still waiting._

_I have to put everything back together… that's connected to me._

It was a commitment Sora had pinned down on his own shoulders.

"And it's one I'm going to keep…"

"Sora," Riku called again, putting a firm hand on Sora's shoulder. "You awake there?" he laughed, turning his comforting grip swiftly and stealthily into a headlock.

"Yeah…" Sora grinned, pushing Riku off. "C'mon… cut it out. Is that any way to treat a hero?"

"Some hero, sitting on the sidelines while there are people waiting for your glorious rescue," Riku joked, his laughter eventually joined in by Sora's, and then Kairi's. Both boys turned their heads, noticing her approach.

"Riku… Sora," she greeted, smiling.

"Hey Kairi," Sora responded, noticing something she was holding behind her back. "What's that?"

"Hm?" She looked confused at first, but then pulled them out. "Oh… right," She giggled, handing them to Sora. "They're for the journey," she explained, as both boys observed the colorful bouquet of orange, yellow and pink flowers. Sora took them from her, cocking his head to the side.

"Thanks… but… what for?" Sora asked, unsure what good would come out of them. There was a long pause before Kairi could answer him.

"Really…? … I don't know… I just…" she thought silently for another moment, Riku and Sora exchanging confused glances in the meantime. "… Well, to be honest…" She stopped, the other two waiting for her to continue. It wasn't long into the silence until a jolt of overwhelming emotion struck all three companions.

"… What is it?" Sora asked once more, Riku experiencing the same reaction. And it seemed to catch them all by surprise.

"… They're… not for you in particular, to say the least…" she continued, unsure of where to go from there. "But…" she looked up at him. "… There's someone… I met a long… long time ago." She stopped, looking down at the flowers. "… I don't know why… but this feels… right…?"

… Was there any better way to say it? The idea behind her reasoning may make no sense to anyone else, but for whatever reason, it made perfect logic between these three. And despite their understanding, it still confused them nonetheless.

In ways even they couldn't explain.

"All right," Sora smiled, taking the flowers and putting them in the bottle along with the letter from King Mickey. "Thanks, Kairi."

More silence… but it was a peaceful sort of quietness.

"… Well… I guess it's time to head off."

"Yeah…" Riku nodded, handing Sora the oar to his boat to the Island.

"Be careful…" Kairi warned, giving Sora's hand a squeeze before letting go, watching him jump into the boat. "And come home soon…" Both she and Riku gave the boat a push off the shore in the direction of the Island, waving off to him as he disappeared over the horizon. Sora waved back until he could see them no more. It was at that moment he pulled the luck charm that was given to him from his pocket, squeezing it tightly in the palm of his hand.

::

The Island was tranquil when Sora arrived. He walked silently along the shoreline, noticing the sunrise off in the distance.

'It's pretty, isn't it?'

The sudden voice made Sora jump in surprise, but as soon as he turned his head, he noticed Roxas' figure appear beside him. Roxas smiled.

'Sorry… I couldn't help myself.'

"Uh... … s'okay… but…" Roxas turned to face Sora, noticing the other's questionable glance. But rather than explaining why he was projected outside of Sora's mind rather than inside, the blond's eyes wandered directly toward the flowers sitting in the red pocket on Sora's belt.

'She'll like those…' he remarked, catching Sora way off guard.

"… What? ... I mean… who?" Sora stuttered, trying to interpret what Roxas was saying.

'Yeah…' he muttered, scratching his chin. 'Hah… … where did that come from?' he laughed, shaking his head. 'It just came out. I don't know.'

"Can't say I get where you're going with this either…" Sora shrugged his shoulders, both boys standing still for a few moments.

"…"

'… He's waiting for you.'

"What?" Sora glared at his alter ego, crossing his arms. "She? He? Just _who_ are you talking about?"

'… The King?' Roxas responded, not being able to resist a chuckle.

"Oh… right…" The brunet felt Roxas' ghostly hand pass through him, as they merged, heading in the direction of the Secret Place.

-

"Here it is…" Sora announced, stopping right in front of the mysterious door: The door that started it all.

'… Well?'

"Well what?"

'… Are we going to go through it?' Roxas asked, splitting his image from Sora's once more.

"Of course we are!" Sora smiled, summoning his keyblade. He swung it about, making a sharp aim for the keyhole on the door. "Let's see if this trusty blade can work the magic…" A bright beam burst from the tip of the key, unlocking the magical seal on the door. The two boys stood before it, as the door swung open, filtering the tiny area with light.

"Let's go."

'Ready when you are…' Taking note of the tenacity in Sora's eyes, Roxas could only be inclined to feel the same. He couldn't quite figure out the reason why he was so scared.

… _Why…?_

And with that, they merged once more, walking through the light. Once Sora's image disappeared, the door shut…

And disappeared into nothingness.

::

Footsteps echoed through an empty hall. The silhouette of a short figure with two large round ears moved through the dark corridors, growing as it approached the nearest door down the hall. Slipping through the entryway, the hooded figure revealed itself to a rather impatient Donald, and to no ones surprise, a dazed Goofy.

"A-hyuck! Your Majesty!"

"You're late!"

The two greeted their King in unison, Mickey calming Donald down with a pat on the back. "Now, relax, relax… Sora's not here yet." Even with a reassuring tone, nothing could possibly calm him down enough to keep his feathers unruffled.

"But Your Majesty! What if he couldn't make it!?" Donald quacked, Goofy scratching his forehead.

"Well, gawrsh, Donald! Of course he made it! A-hyuck! He's the bearer of the keyblade!"

"Then why isn't he HERE!?"

"Why isn't _who_ here?"

The intrusion of the familiar voice of the fourth person seemed to bring that argument to an end, both Donald and Goofy tackling the one who just arrived.

"Sora!"

"Hey hey, hold your horses! I just got back from the realm of light… and that's one heck of a trip!" Sora returned the affection, giving them both hugs as they straightened themselves out once again.

"Sora." Mickey approached, watching as the keyblade's chosen dusted his clothes off as he stood. "I'm glad you're safe." He was smiling, but it eventually furrowed into a sadder expression. "… But you know too well why I called you here…" The energy in the room suddenly died down, and Sora nodded.

"… I want to make things right. For everyone."

"I know, Sora." The King turned, walking toward the window looking down upon the courtyard. "There are still people… Waiting for a hero to save them." He turned in Sora's direction, pointing his golden Kingdom Key in his direction. "That hero is you." Donald and Goofy both turned to their friend, a flush of red dousing the brunet's cheeks for a moment.

"And I'm up to the task! I just… don't know where to start."

Good job, hero.

Mickey smiled, quite fond of Sora's determination. "I knew you would say yes!" he then turned to his desk, picking up a small journal. With a gloved hand, he dusted it off handed it to Sora. "Sora… There are three people… Eleven years ago, something horrible happened to each of them. If my predictions are correct, they are still waiting to this day…" he explained, flipping the first page to the first task. "In order to set things right, we need to find these three people first… and bring them together again. Reconnect their fragmented hearts."

Sora glanced down at the page. He gasped, or something within him causing him to do so, staring down at the image before him. He stepped backwards, catching himself before hitting the wall.

"Sora!"

"Sora, what's wrong?" Goofy asked, helping him regain balance, standing upright once more.

"It's…" The one in the picture before him captivated his eyes. "… Who is that?" Silence followed his question, and Donald and Goofy turned to the King.

"… Sora, you know her?"

Sora was silent a moment, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath in. "She just looks… … vaguely familiar. Like I've met her somewhere before… " His reply was blunt, but with all the more empathy present in his pitch. "Riku and I… we both met her, I think…" He paused to think to the back of his mind. "… I feel like there's something more…" He put his hand over his heart, clenching his fist slightly. "… I've known her before… It just feels that deep."

"Sora…"

"What's her name?" He demanded this time, his soft tone much more brasher than before.

It was almost as if it wasn't Sora speaking at all… as if it were someone else.

"… The one in the picture… Her name is-" Before the King could respond, a crash was heard outside the castle. Immediately, Sora and Mickey summoned their keyblades, running out to the hall and to the courtyard. Donald and Goofy would have followed behind, but they were blocked from leaving the room by a crystallized barrier.

-

Outside of the castle, there was a giant black sphere wreaking havoc through the garden. Several mysterious creatures began emerging out from seemingly nowhere. Mickey raised his blade, but dropped his guard as a devastating thought perplexed his mind.

"… _Unverse_…?"

Just the uttering of the name caused Sora's gaze to break from the dark sphere, onto the King.

His eyes were no longer those of his familiar blue ones, but of another's. And as the sphere grew larger and brighter, Sora's appearance slowly began to alter within the rays it produced. As Mickey turned to see him, no longer was it Sora standing beside him… but just another figure of the past.

_Ventus_

And in a flash, Sora disappeared completely, the sphere also disappearing and all of the Unverse that had followed it. If not completely caught by surprise, Mickey would have chased Sora into the portal to the Dark World. Instead, he simply stood and stared at the debris of leaves that invaded the once neat and orderly courtyard.

"… Mission one, person one… Good luck, S— …" he paused, closing his eyes, letting his keyblade disappear.

"… Keyblade's chosen, Ven…"

::

Sora lay face down against the dark sands beneath him. As he began to come to, he couldn't help but remember this place following his battle against Xemnas. And just as the name of the leader of the Organization entered his mind, it began to make his heart ache in ways he couldn't even explain.

"Xemnas…" The brunet shook his head, though the voice he heard was definitely not his own.

"_What happened to you_…"

As Sora looked on ahead into the moonlit ocean in front of him, he couldn't help but notice a figure at rest in the shallows. Knees brought up to the chest, the figure was slim, most of the face was difficult to make out with a few locks of blue hair were covering the figure's eyes. But it wasn't so much the presence of the figure that caused such a disruption, but the garments that the figure wore. Two long pieces of lavender colored fabric hung down at her thighs with two large white bows overlapping each one. She wore a black corset with white strings that criss-crossed underneath the breastplates over a dark blue halter-turtleneck like top. Rose-colored straps crossed over both layers of clothing, a silver heart-like pendant pinned where the lines intersected. Black stockings covered her legs from over the knee down to her ankles, silver armor-like boots finishing it off. And the very sight of it made Sora's heart stop. Suddenly, Roxas-… Ven's, form split from his other as it did before, walking slowly toward the figure in the tide. And even though it was the former keyblade wielder in form, he still adorned Roxas' attire.

_Reconnect…_

_The broken fragments_

"It's… impossible… it can't be…" Ven stuttered, wariness in his eyes. He then shook his head, face angled downward. "I refuse to believe it…" He looked up once again, catching another glance at the person before him. The reality of who it was had yet to sink in his mind.

Suddenly, a tear fell from his blue iris. "After… all these years…" And as the first tear's trail was made, another followed in place of it. "And all this time, you've been here…" Eventually, his cheeks were soaked, his expression in complete anguish. "… And you never came back… to find me…" He clenched his teeth, his knees too weak to lock him in a standing position. Sora wanted to help his other, but stopped…

And watched the reunion unfurl.

"You secluded me in that goddamned castle… To protect me?" he continued, trying to brush his tears away, but they continued to fall in spite of his efforts. "You said… we would never be separated… All three of us…" he paused, waiting for a response. When he didn't get one, he continued. "… I didn't know… I eventually lost that piece of memory with you… and him… but even after all this time, I never really forgot… Those memories never really disappeared…" he then closed his eyes tightly, recalling all of the memories that were once lost to him.

"I didn't know what happened to you!"

The figure in the water finally turned around, revealing none other than the lost Master of the Keyblade.

"Ventus…" She spoke softly. Just the sound of her voice triggered the younger of the two key wielders to collapse into a mess of choking sobs to the sand beneath him. The blue-haired one then shifted her own self closer to the other, gathering him up in her arms.

_Aqua_

Sora was silent, watching the scene unfold before him.

_So his name is Ventus…_ he thought to himself. Though his interest was focused solely on Aqua. _… So this whole time… they were connected…And I brought them back together again…_

"... If this is my job, I think I can live with it..."

The blue-haired woman gently stroked Ven's hair, just as she did eleven years ago before she left him in Castle Oblivion. He wrapped his arms around her waist, as if she was going to disappear again if he ever let go. "Ven… I never meant to leave you alone like this…"

"But you did… and you disappeared…" Ven felt like a child who just dropped his ice cream in the sand, crying to his mother hoping she could make it better. "Why did you leave…?" She was silent a moment, letting him rest his head against her breast right over her heart. He could hear it beating slowly, his shallow breathing slowly becoming silent cries in between deep breaths.

"I didn't leave to abandon you… … or Terra…" The mentioning of the third person's name made both Aqua and Ven uneasy. "… I wanted to help guide Terra back to the right path… But by the time I saw him, it was too late…" She sighed deeply, as Ven lifted his head to meet her gaze. "After we fought… I followed him as he fell into the Realm of Darkness… The only way I could save him from being trapped there for eternity was by allowing him to use my light to guide him out…"

"Which is how you got here…" Sora intervened, both Aqua and Ven turning to the brunet. Sora smiled. "Hey… Aqua." The name came to him out of nowhere. He then knelt down beside the two of them, unsure of what else to say. "… Long time no see?" he remarked, signature grin gracing his distinct facial features.

And although in a state of equal confusion, Aqua returned the smile, ruffling his spikey hair. "A long time, indeed… Hello, Sora." Then, Sora remembered. He pulled the small bouquet of flowers from the bottle in his pocket, handing it off to Aqua. "Oh… these… these are for you." He offered them to her, not entirely sure why he did, watching as she took them from him. Ven blinked, looking to the flowers as well. Although he was in Sora's mind when he was given the flowers, he must not have remembered being given them. A few moments following silence, Aqua laughed. Her brilliant blue cerulean eyes met Sora's sky blue ones, the same genuine smile never fading from her lips.

"And how is the lovely Kairi?" For whatever the reason, her knowing Kairi didn't surprise Sora too much.

"She's fine." He grinned, stretching his arms. "She's living on the Destiny Islands… with Riku and I." Aqua was overjoyed to hear of these familiar names.

"Riku… how is he doing?"

"Great!"

She laughed again. "Still training, I take it?"

"As always." All three of them, Aqua Ven and Sora, were enjoying the worry-free conversation. Ven then closed his eyes, resting his head against Aqua's shoulder.

"I wish…" he paused, Sora and Aqua looking down at him. "… I wish things could return to the way they used to be…" Aqua and Sora looked at one another, then back down at their friend.

"Things can only get better from here, Ven. You just have to have faith." She reassured, patting his head gently. Things began to quiet down again, but the silence was broken once again by Ven.

" Hey, Aqua…?" he began, his eyes staring at the silver moon before them. He didn't even need to finish his sentence, when Aqua's arm around his shoulder brought him closer to her.

"I know…" she closed her eyes, tears beginning to blur her own vision.

I miss _him,_ too…

_Terra_

::

* * *

Chapter II coming as soon as it gets done. Please leave a review if you'd like. All feedback is greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter II

_Take the Pieces - Build them Skywards_

_Chapter II_

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney nor Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation theories based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

::Open Minds – Open Hearts::

Through the dark realm, Sora and Aqua walked side by side.

"Trying to find the exit… has never been so tiring." Sora whined, becoming more and more irritated with each second that passed. He recalled being able to find the door to light the first time… But the chances of being able to find it again so easily seemed slim. Aqua smiled, giving him a reassuring pat on the head.

"It can't be too much longer… It's here, don't worry." But her optimistic take on the whole scenario made Sora wonder.

"… If it's here, why didn't you try to leave sooner?" The question caught her by surprise, though she didn't show it physically. Instead, she turned to face him, both hands placed on his shoulders with a firm gentleness.

"Within these years, I haven't seen the light. I could have despaired never seeing it again… But I didn't lose hope." And with that, she let off his shoulders and took his hands into hers. "And now look, Sora. You've made it down here. A bright, shining light shredding the darkness as we speak." She smiled, his eyes blinking as she spoke.

"As long as there's light, there's hope. And as long as there's no darkness, there's nothing to despair…" Sora muttered, thinking about it a moment. But Aqua's smile furrowed at his avowal.

"Sora…" she began, his attention grabbed by her tone almost immediately. "Light and darkness… they coexist." She continued. "One cannot exist without the other. If one allows for darkness to overpower their hearts, then they will indeed be swept away by such force." A brief pause, giving Sora a moment to take it all in. "However… even the light can act in such a way."

"… The light?" He questioned, not quite understanding what she meant.

"… There are those who exist… with too much light."

"Too much?" He paused. But before he could continue, she broke back in conversation.

"Those who believe that light is the ultimate source of power… they seek it. They cherish it… even if it means taking all necessary measures to achieve it. Those who live for such control… aren't as pure as one would perceive them to be."

Still, Sora failed to understand her logic.

"Where's all that coming from?"

"Huh?"

"All that… about light and darkness… so you're saying there is no right side to take?" Clearly, he missed the entire point of her lecture. She just stared at him a good couple of seconds, before giggling and fully clasping his hands together in hers.

"As a keybearer, you can never learn too much." Suddenly through the thick haze, a vertical beam of light formed before them. Giving a hearty laugh, Sora smiled proudly and Aqua let his hands go free.

"Well, there's our exit!" He announced, holding a hand out to his new-old acquaintance. "You ready to get out of here?"

For a moment, the reality of finally being able to leave this place didn't hit her.

Smiling, she took his hand and they both walked through the light.

-----

Having made it back to the Castle, the duo remained quiet. Upon entering the main gates, Sora was greeted once again by the barrage of his two buddies, Donald and Goofy. Aqua was left untouched, though they did take notice to her right away. And it was Goofy who made the first recognition.

"Hey! Well, whaddya know? It's Master Aqua!"

"Whack!?" Donald turned his head, giving the blue-haired woman a stare. But before he could react, the King had entered the hall to join them. The second he and Aqua noticed one another, a distinct silence filled the hall… suddenly broken, and rather quickly.

"Aqua!?"

"Mickey?"

"Goofy!"

"Sora!"

The intervention of the third and fourth party voices caused Donald to thwack his taller comrades in the backs of their heads.

"Aqua! It _is_ you!" the King exclaimed, running up to the other, joy and excitement in every bounce. Aqua smiled sincerely, kneeling down to meet him at eye level.

"It's great to see you again, too," then from her position, she stood and took a gracious bow, "Your Majesty". Mickey smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Gosh… you don't have to be like that. Drop the formalities." Mickey smiled, turning to Sora. "We go way back. Long before I even became King of Disney Castle."

"Wow…" Sora thought aloud, looking between the two, giving them a wide grin. "So, look! I've found the first person!"

"Two, actually."

"Two?" Sora tilted his head slightly at the King's remark. Mickey nodded.

"Aqua… and Ventus."

"Ohh…" Sora snapped his fingers. "Right!"

"… Actually…" Mickey continued, noticing Aqua's blatant expression from where he stood. "Make that one and a half."

"… A half?" This only made Sora more confused. "How come?"

"You hold his heart, Sora… not his body." Mickey sighed, shaking his head. Donald and Goofy were also at a loss for what to say.

"And that's why it's only half…" Sora thought aloud, tapping his foot, arms crossed. For a minute or two, no one spoke. It didn't last much longer than that, however, when Sora came up with a "brilliant" idea. "We should get his body back! I can offer up the piece of his heart inside of me, and then he can return to normal!" The reaction Sora received for his plan was not what he intended.

"Sora… No one knows where his body is," Mickey responded, in result, destroying his enthusiasm. "It's been years… who knows where his body lay now?"

"…" Aqua then stepped forward. "His body… is in the reformed world of the Land of Departure…" All eyes were now on her.

"The Land… of Departure?" Sora questioned, though a slight warmth emitted from heart at the repeating of the name. Aqua nodded.

"Back then… His body had been sealed in a room… where no one could find him."

"No one except the one who created it." Sora determined, silence being the only response from the blue-haired woman.

"But who could have done that…" Goofy wondered, Donald doing the same.

"… No one really knows." Aqua piped in. No one seemed to notice that her eyes angled down toward the floor, avoiding most eye contact with the others.

"Then we just gotta figure it out, huh?" Sora declared, Donald and Goofy nodding in response.

"Right!"

"I just wish we knew where the Land of Departure was…" At that thought, all the anticipation died again. Mickey looked between the three, then back at Aqua.

"Aqua…"

"… Yes?"

"… You know where it is, don't you." The King's allegation caused the three to perk up. Sora especially.

"You know? How come it seemed like you didn't know?"

"…" Her eyes began to lose contact with the group once more. But her discretion only frustrated Sora more.

"C'mon, Aqua! I'm sure we can set things back to how they're supposed to be!" Sora asked, her gaze still avoiding his. "They're probably waiting to see you again!" Still, no reply. "… Don't you _want_ to see them again?" But at the instant where he tried to tap her shoulder, she immediately pulled back, hastily leaving the room. Blinking, the young wielder turned to face the King. "… What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, Sora. It's nothing you should take personally." Mickey assured, hearing Aqua's light footsteps down the hall. "It's been close to eleven years since she had seen the light. Eleven years since she's seen her friends. I'm sure all of this is far too overwhelming for her to handle right now." Sora nodded, understanding the circumstances.

"… What can I do to help?"

"Let her be," the King explained. "She's in need of time to think all of this through." Sora was at a loss what to do until then. "… Don't worry. She'll pull through with her decision eventually. Time is all it takes."

_Let the pieces fall in their proper places…_

_Fate will decide what paths they choose to take._

::

It was the next morning. Sora had fallen asleep in the library of the Castle. He opened his eyes, yawning and stretching his arms over his head. Donald and Goofy slept a few feet away from him; neither of them seemed to stir as he continued to wake himself. As he tip-toed toward the room's exit, he took one last look at the image of Aqua in the journal. "Aqua… Don't you worry, we'll make things right!" he thought aloud in a hushed-tone whisper.

Peeking his head out the door to the hall, Sora turned both ways and walked through the corridors to where he was hoping the King would be. Knocking on the door, he received no response. "Huh… weird…"

He knocked once more.

Still, nothing.

"Geez… I was sure he'd be up at this hour!" Rather than sticking around by the door, he made his way down the hall to the courtyard. But once he heard the faint sound of voices, he stopped, and hid behind the wall leading outside. It was Aqua and the King.

"Aqua… I understand what you must be going through… but…" the King paused, Aqua waiting patiently for him to continue. "… In order to save the worlds, we must find Ven's body… You and Ven are the only people who have the strength to save Terra."

She nodded. "I understand… … but…" she paused, turning her eyes in the direction of where Sora stood, hidden. For a minute, he was sure he was caught. Nothing could get past Aqua. But relief struck him once again when she continued with Mickey. "My only fear… is that when I re-open his chamber…"

"… He won't be himself?"

"… Not that… but just the idea of his heart not returning back to his body…" the sound of her voice gave the impression that she was shaking. Or at least it seemed that way to Sora. "… What if it doesn't work? … I've never tried returning a heart back to a comatose being…" Mickey thought about it… but smiled.

"You have the power to do great things, Aqua. I'm sure you can do it, once you've gone with Sora to the Land of Departure."

"… The thing is-"

"The land is no more, I know." Mickey's knowledge of the situation caught Aqua off-guard.

"How?"

"Riku and I. We were there."

"Riku?" Aqua was confused. "How did the two of you get there?"

"… Things happen. Sora's been there, too."

"Sora…!?" As if she weren't confused enough… "But… How?… Better yet, why?"

"It's a long story… and I'll have time to share with you once you return. But for now, you must know that Sora has absolutely no memory of ever being there."

Sora, in turn, was the speechless one now.

All he could do was listen.

"When Sora first came upon it, he was told of his memories being erased as he progressed through it… Floor after floor, memory after memory… With every piece he lost, a new one was formed. But they were fake…" he paused. "… A friend of mine, now, was captivated into taking apart his memories to form the false ones. But once she was freed, she put them back together… and destroyed the ones that he made prior to entering the castle…"

"… Castle Oblivion." Aqua hesitantly murmured, Mickey nodding to her response. Her head bowed forward. "So a piece of him had already been left within the Castle…" Again, he nodded. "… When I bring him there, will anything come to mind?"

"… I don't know."

Sora didn't know what to make of their little conversation.

'Memories of things that had happened… that were erased…? … But, they actually happened?' he thought to himself.

_To find is to lose… _

… _And to lose, it to find…_

"Just what do you mean by that!?"

Sora approached them, his eyes narrowed. Aqua and Mickey looked a him, then back at one another. "What? … Are you saying that a piece of my own memory is gone?"

"No, Sora…" Aqua fought the urge to slap herself in the face for speaking of it whilst he listened from the distance. "Sora…" she tried to find the right words to explain the situation to him, but couldn't. So instead, she closed her eyes, letting her arms fall to her sides. Mickey also wasn't sure where to go with that.

"… I see…" Sora's clenched fists began to loosen their grip, and he turned his head from them.

And here it comes again…

That irritable silence…

"… I want them back."

"… Sora—"

"Everything. I want those memories back." Sora's mind was set. He turned so that he could face Aqua, and Aqua alone. "You know where it is… And you obviously know more than I thought you did…"

"Sora… I—"

"Take me there… I want my memories back."

"…" Aqua remained still, his intense blue eyes focused on her. Mickey would not tolerate the inconsiderate behavior toward his old friend. Not even from Sora.

"… Now, Sora-"

"Let's go then." Mickey paused.

"… Aqua?"

"Sora's right," she remarked. "It's not fair… his memories had been taken away from him with no reasoning… Whether they are true or not, he deserves to have them back." She then summoned her keyblade, and it then morphed into a giant glider-like structure. All that lacked was the armor she adorned in the past. Hopping onto it, she left room for Sora to get on as well.

Both Mickey and Sora were surprised how willing she was to go through with this. Nevertheless, Sora gave a single apparent nod, and hopped on the back. Before the King could send them away, they were already gone. He shook his head in disbelief.

The flight through the dimensional portal in the starry sky was a quiet one. Sora latched onto Aqua's waist, constantly looking down to see just how far they were from any sort of nothingness beneath them. He then turned his eyes to see only the back of her head. Taking a moment to recollect his thoughts, he loosened his hold on her and looked at the sky above them.

"Hey, Aqua?"

"Hm?"

"… Thanks."

Both exchanged smiles, and continued through to their next destination: Castle Oblivion.

_What you've lost can be found…_

… _In exchange for something you possess…_

::

______

Chapter III on the way. All feedback is greatly appreciated.


	3. Chapter III

_Take the Pieces - Build them Skywards_

_Chapter III_

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney nor Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation theories based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

Thank you, to everyone for the reviews/watches/favorites! Again, it is greatly appreciated!

No, I have no intention to make any sort of pairings. I'm trying to make this as close to true for the KH series as humanly possible… and I just think that pairing anyone together would sort of ruin the magic… You know what I mean?

But with that said… I'm in full support of the Tequa pairing. Maybe a future fic with them… but I'm not sure yet.

And if by greater demand, I may hint them… May even include it. But that's up to your reviews and opinions.

::_The Forgotten_::

Speeding through the intergalactic universe with Sora at tow, Aqua searched left and right for the remains of her world. When she found nothing, she sighed. "I don't get it… I'm sure it would have still been here… even if just the slightest debris remained…" she began to slow down, hovering above the worlds that were there. "But I don't see a trace of it…"

Sora also took a look around. He then began to think.

"Do you think it disappeared into nothingness? … Like my memories?"

"… It shouldn't have." Aqua shook her head, turning to Sora. "Not the way that I reformed it… In fact, it should still be standing tall." She did a double take on the path before her, and the one behind her. "It can't be gone… I know where it was before… Right around here…" she glided across the empty space closer to the line of worlds that remained. Not being able to locate it upset her. And Ven, within Sora, could tell.

'I know my body is still out there…' Ven remarked to Sora.

-"… Do you think you can locate it?"- Sora questioned him.

'I can try… But…' he paused, causing Sora to blink. '… I wonder… if Aqua still has her luck charm.'

-"… "-. Sora turned his attention to Aqua, taking Ven's thought as a hint to ask her about it. "Hey, Aqua…"

"Hm?"

"… Do you have your luck charm?"

"My…?" she stopped in mid-flight, glancing at Sora from over the shoulder. Her eyes then wandered off, as if searching her mind for something. She then looked down at the folds in the white fabric of her outfit, pulling out what appeared to be a blue star-shaped charm. She handled it thoughtfully, smiling. She then held it close to her heart, Sora quietly observing.

_Never forget…_

The first thing that came to Sora's mind was the luck charm that Kairi had given to him before he left on his journey.

'Maybe Aqua is the one who taught her how to make them…' He thought to himself, taking careful note on her compassion toward the tiny trinket.

'I still have mine, too.' Ven broke into Sora's thoughts, a sense of exhilaration chimed in his voice.

-"You do?"- Sora asked, having a clear visual of the other nodding.

'Yup… it's still in my pocket. You know… in my solid form.' Ven explained, Sora nodding in his response. 'If Aqua has her charm… she should be able to find me with no problem… In fact, that's probably what she's off doing now.'

-"Now…?"- After a moment of dazing off, he didn't realize that Aqua was already back in control of their ride with new found determination. He smirked, giving her shoulder a pat. "Figured it out?"

"Somewhat… I'm hoping that my heart has given me the right direction, though…" she joked, approaching the world of her choice. And to Sora's astonishment, it was none other than Twilight Town.

"Here?" He asked, confusion present in his pitch.

"I'm sure of it… This is where it is." She declared, entering the mysterious world.

_-Twilight Town-_

As the ride landed, Sora found they were standing right outside the Old Mansion. He took a moment to observe the gates, peering through each window carefully from his standpoint. "Nothing's changed…" walking toward one of the broken pillars leading up to the entrance, he motioned for Aqua to follow him. She nodded, progressing with no hesitation. When they were within two feet of the door, Sora stopped. Aqua turned to see what made him impede walking further.

"What is it?"

"This is the place?" Sora shot her questionable glance, not sure why or how this world could possibly be connected to Ven's body.

"Yes. I'm sure of it." She continued forward, reaching a single hand out to open the door. But upon touching the handle, an uncomforting sensation traveled from the knob throughout her body. Taken aback, she pulled her hand away, summoning her keyblade almost immediately. She then aimed for the door, a thin beam of light projected out from the tip of the key, the door opening in result. Lowering the weapon, she continued on through. With out a word, Sora followed her lead.

'She knows what she's doing…' Ven figured. 'She always seemed like she did.'

-"Seems like she does."- Sora responded keeping a watchful eye on where she went from here.

'… Guess it's why I admired her in a way.'

-"Hm?"-. Sora then took a minute to withdraw back into his head while he still unconsciously followed the other.

---

"Admired her? How so?" Sora asked, standing with his arms crossed in front of Ven. Sighing, the blond closed his eyes.

"She's always shown so much strength. For a while, I wanted to be just like Terra… You know, he's strong brave… and always knew how to put up a good fight," he smiled at his fondest of memories. "But when things began to change… Aqua seemed to doubt him. There were many times it would end up with all of us going our separate ways." Sora watched as Ven's memories began to project around them.

"Sometimes, I'd even get mad at her…" he admitted freely, letting his arms fall to his sides. "It seemed as though she were the one changing… ever since she became a Keyblade master…" he explained, trying to figure it out. "But maybe this whole time, Terra was the one changing… She took notice to it, I didn't."

"But surely you did know… but didn't want to believe it?" Sora inquired, not knowing the whole story anyhow.

"Could be…" Ven pondered. "… I just can't believe how things ended up." Noticing the downcast appearance of the other, Sora offered him a huge grin and a hook of his arm around his shoulder.

"There's still time to make up for it! I'm sure even you and Aqua can make amends for what's happened between you two!"

"What about Terra?" The question hushed Sora for a brief second.

"… Yeah," his grin lessened into a quieter smile, giving it a more genuine feel. "Him too."

_Reconnecting the links to the past…_

_To a different dimension…_

_An entire half… of what was once whole. _

It felt as though they've been scavenging the mansion for hours. At this point, they were in the library. Sora took the time to check the bookshelves for something, anything, to help them find Ven's body. In the meantime, Aqua observed the table in which three designs were filled in.

"Huh…" curiosity sparked her mind, as she gave it a better look. "Oh…" It seemed as though one of the images had been erased slightly. With effort to perfect it once more, she took a piece of chalk abandoned on the ground, finishing the design. Smiling, the image began to glow faintly. And before she could react, the floor beneath her disappeared. She pushed what she could of her weight off the fading base, gripping onto a ledge before pulling herself back up. Sora ran over to see what had happened, noticing the secret passage now revealed once again.

"Oh! I remember this!"

"Remember what?"

"This is where I woke up… with Donald, and Goofy…" Sora clarified, nodding his head in satisfaction. "Maybe what we're looking for is down there!" Without a minute to lose, Sora jumped from the ledge to the hidden basement. Aqua, on the other hand, decided to take the stairs. Before trailing Sora to the computer room, she stopped, summoning her keyblade and pulling the luck charm out. Taking the chained end of the charm, she linked it up to the base of the blade, watching it dangle in junction with each swing she took.

"Ven… Don't worry. We're on our way."

::

Apparently, Sora had gone on ahead as Aqua followed behind his footsteps, observing each room quietly. The shattered monitors remained the same as usual in the first room. It gave Aqua an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Quickly, she went on into the next room; the one in which Axel and Roxas fought before he re-united with Sora. There were still subtle burn marks on the floors and walls. Aqua knelt down, letting her hand trace one of the marks left by one of the keyblades Roxas weld.

"Is this what the keyblade has become…?" she wonders, rubbing off the soot at her fingertips. "The keyblade… was created not for the use as a destructive weapon… but a constructive one…" her thoughts continued to pertain to the fight as it visually reiterated itself back before her.

"Whether I be a Master or not… The keyblade must be taught in fresh lexis… and understood the way it was meant to be used."

"Aqua?" She broke out of her thoughts, facing Sora. "You coming? I think you should see this…"

Her interest was perked, as she stood up and entered the next room, where the pods lingered.

_To find is to lose… and to lose is to find. _

_What was lost… can now be found…_

_For the price of what you hold dear…_

Where the pods once were, was completely erased. All that remained of this area was an empty hallway, clean and neat, colored in stark white. Sora was left in his confusion, but Aqua recognized the setting all too well. "This is it…" she breathed, staring down the long hallway. Before Sora could fill in the awkward emptiness with his questions for her, she proceeded to walk slowly through the passageway. He idly tracked her from behind…

Unbeknownst to him… He's walked these halls once before.

::

_::Castle Oblivion::_

Everything was silent. The walls, the statues… Everything. The castle had not only been abandoned once, but twice; the first time following the creation, and the second after Sora left subsequent to his one-year-nap. Ever since then, no one has stepped foot within it.

And the evidence was there to prove it. There were areas that had been left since Sora first entered Castle Oblivion, including a few crushed pillars where he fought Marluxia, and Riku fought Lexaeus.

The only change to the castle was the structure—everything had been compressed to one floor, and there was a peculiar door at the end of the room. The door seemed off to Sora, but not so much to Aqua. The tension that built up in her head was almost overwhelming, but she managed to get her legs moving once more. Now more than ever, her heart was beating faster than she could keep track of. Taking a breath, Aqua summoned the Rainstorm keyblade, holding it out in front of her. She closed her eyes, and the keyblade detached itself from her lose grip, disappearing into a ball of light. It seemed to disintegrate into the air, creating what appeared to be a keyhole. She then twisted her wrists so that her palm was facing up. In that instant, the Rainstorm appeared again, this time breaking the lock completely, opening the door to the next room: the Room of Wakening.

It was then Sora could feel the other presence within him split in two. The ghost form traveled from Sora's body to the idle chair in the middle of the room. For a moment, Aqua held her breath. Unsure of what to do, she felt Sora's hand give her a light shove against her shoulder, just as a reminder to keep going. In the end, she forced movement out of her body as she approached the chair. She could hear movement from the other side of the back that faced her. Frozen in place, she could feel her heart detonate as the form Sora knew as Roxas, though in completely different attire, stood up from the front of the chair, stretching oh-so-tiredly.

"Ventus…" she mumbled, reaching out a shaky hand to see if it was real. Before she could touch him however, he turned around to catch her hand in what seemed like a fatal-friendship grip.

"Aqua… It's been a while, huh?" he tried to evoke happy emotions from her…

But all he got were tears: And lots of them.

She'd exchange his handshake for an unbreakable embrace, still standing taller than him, making it seem as though they were the same age as they were counting eleven years back. Mentally, they were far wiser than that. "It's true…" she smiled, her tears dripping onto his cheek. "I was beginning to think that you truly did disappear… But all this time… I never lost hope."

"Aqua…" Ven whispered, as he returned her hug with one of his own. "I don't think any world… or any force in this universe could keep all of us apart." They let go of one another, Ven digging into his pockets for his own luck charm. He held it up to her, suspending it from his index and middle fingers. "See? Our bonds are still connected."

"They always were."

Another reunion between the two; A reunion that Sora was happy being able to witness. "That only leaves one portion left of the puzzle…"

"… Terra," the two keybearers chorused. "His heart… it still exists… in another form, perhaps… but in order to make him whole again, we must bring him back to the light." Aqua established. Ven nodded in agreement.

"And if anyone knows Terra better…"

"It would be you" Again, the two joined together in unison.

"… Me?" Aqua pointed to herself, blinking at his response.

"Well, duh. Of course!" he grinned. "You've known him way before I even came into the picture!" As true as that was, Aqua still failed to understand why that would prove anything in terms of who knew who the best.

"We've clashed in the past… I'm not sure I know him as well as you think."

"You never gave up on him though, did you?"

"…" His statement proved yet another true factor. "… Never," was her eventual reply.

"… Then he's probably waiting to be saved." Ven paused. "… It's time!" he declared, summoning his own reversed keyblade. "We'll work together to get our friend back!" It took a moment, his determination sinking into her mind. She then noticed Sora walk up to stand right beside him, giving Aqua a reassuring nod.

"… Together," she repeated, her keyblade appearing once more in her hands. "… Let's go."

_Where he waits for them…_

_Lingering Sentiment_

::

_____

Chapter IV is in the works. All reviews appreciated!

Give me your opinion about light Tequa implications. This fanfic will not go beyond the T rating however. ;3


	4. Chapter IV

_Take the Pieces - Build them Skywards_

Chapter IV

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney nor Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics. Or Hikari for that matter.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation theories based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

_::Brightness of the Heart::_

They left the castle, Aqua getting on her own ride with Ven and Sora close behind her. At first, the plan was to go straight to Disney Castle. But Aqua had other plans in mind. She reared off the path to the right, another world shrouded in a thick miasma appearing before them.

"Huh… Aqua, where ya going?" Sora called, Ven angling his keyblade in her direction, speeding up in order to fly beside her.

"What is it?"

"It's Terra…" her response seemed rigid.

"Terra? …" Sora thought. "But… I'm pretty sure… he's in a different world… branched off from Disney Castle."

"A dustbowl?" Ven questioned the other.

"Er… sort of… why?"

"That's the Keyblade Graveyard," Ven explained. "It's where a great war took place years and years ago."

"Keyblade Graveyard…?" the name caused a chill to run down Sora's spine. "But… even if Terra is there… we'd have to get there from Disney Castle—"

"Not on my watch…" Aqua declared, reaching her hand out to create a glowing blue portal. She hooked her keyblade ride onto Ven's, and shot through the light, sealing the gateway as they entered.

::_Keyblade Graveyard_::

Soaring above the endless patches of rusty keyblades, Aqua's ride settled down onto the earth below, unhooking her own from Ven's. The ride's changed back to their initial forms, all three sets of eyes scanning the area carefully. "Terra… He's definitely here. I can feel it."

"How do you know it's not some reminiscence of him?" Sora was unclear of the logic of their friendship bonds. Aqua's once calm eyes narrowed.

"Because I can hear his heart calling out…"

"… Aqua, look." Ven pointed off in the distance, the form of a taller figure approaching them. The sand began to kick up, Sora and Ven shielding their eyes from the small grains that flew around them. Aqua's gaze was interlocked with the approaching silhouette, clearly able to make out the form of another keyblade. The figure was decorated in bronze armor, walking closer and closer to them. It seemed to be using the keyblade as support for the weight, armored head hung low. Once within earshot, it stopped moving, standing straight on both feet without the additional support from the keyblade. Aqua took a cautious step forward, keeping her composure in check.

So far, all was well. It didn't seem as though he was intending to strike any time soon.

But Aqua wasn't worried about _him_ attacking her. She was worried that it wasn't him, perhaps an unversed using his armor as a disguise. Eventually, she lowered her guard, the keyblade pointing down toward the ground. "Terra…" she called him quietly, noticing the figure stop. But soon began walking again. "Terra… if you can hear me… … It's Aqua…" she tried to break through to him, but he seemed almost unresponsive. Her eyes began to soften to the way they naturally were, her keyblade dissipating into thin air. The armor stopped when it came face to face with her. Gradually, an armored hand reached out to her heart, sending a wave of bitter coldness through the body.

"_Aqua…_" he chanted in an ethereal tone. His single hand then grabbed where her heart resided, lifting her from the ground. She winced, but didn't show any weakness. Ven's eyes widened as he watched, summoning his keyblade in a desperate attempt to get the figure to retreat.

"Wait, Ven!" Sora tried to stop him, but wasn't fast enough to react.

"Ven, stop!" Aqua jeered, and the boy stopped dead in his tracks. The mysterious figure turned his head to face Ven, loosening his grip on the heart he seized.

"_Ven…_" his ghostly voice murmured. He then let go of her heart, watching as she fell to the sand below. Aqua struggled at his feet to catch her breath, clenching her fist to her chest. She stared up at him, a strange light illuminating the form beneath the armor. It resembled Terra, but his eyes were closed and his clothes were in tatters. The armor then began to crack, a few shards of metal falling to the earth, sinking into the sand. "_Master… Xehanort… _" his voice became more intense as he strained to find himself. "_My friends… what did you do to them…?_" His tone became darker with each syllable, a low growl evident in his tone.

_WHAT DID YOU MAKE ME DO!?_

Suddenly, his keyblade disappeared, and he gripped his head, an eerie scream coming from within the metal shell that began to shatter.

"Terra!" Aqua cried, standing trying to help him regain control. Ven also came by to help her out, using his keyblade to try and break the armor off.

"The rest of it… it's not coming off!" Ven said through clenched teeth, trying to scrape away at the scraps that were still attached. Aqua looked on nervously, beginning to claw at the armor as well. Despite her efforts, the armor refused to budge, only cutting her hands in consequence.

"We have to keep trying…!" she responded, beginning to beat down on the metal with her own keyblade. Sora stood by, the Kingdom Key appearing in his hands. He looked down at it, and it began to speak to him in some incomprehensible tongue. And even though it seemed like a foreign language, he seemed to be able to understand it.

_Unlock the broken fragment… _

_Unleash the anger within…_

_Here, you shall find what you desire…_

_Don't hold back. _

_You hold the strongest weapon in the world..._

The keyblade in Sora's hands then pointed in Terra's direction, aura driven from the handle to the tip. As if the keyblade had full control of him, Sora's arm acted in unison with the weapon, shooting off a series of shining light orbs that made contact with the largest chunks of metal on Terra's body. When they hit, they broke the chunks into even smaller pieces. Eventually, they began to disintegrate, becoming one with the wind. The screaming died down as each piece of armor broke and disappeared, his body becoming more and more visible. As the last pieces were erased, the sandstorm reached a break point, and Terra's body remained stiffened in the same position. He was shrouded in darkness, his eyes closed tightly. Aqua and Ven watched him, unsure of what to do.

"We can't leave him like this…" Ven said, knowing it wouldn't be of any good to either Terra nor him or Aqua.

Within the void of silence, the three keybearers contemplated what to do. Terra's arms then dropped down to his sides, his head dropping yet with closed eyes still. Aqua observed his form quietly, extending her shredded hand to touch his face. "Terra…" She then closed her eyes, and a sphere of intense radiance surrounded them both, pushing Ven back beside Sora.

"Aqua! Terra!!"

_Two… who were never meant to meet…_

… _Again…_

Terra felt a warmth surround his body. He slowly opened his dark blue eyes, taking in his surroundings. Currently, everything was shrouded in the white light. "Where… is this?"

"Terra…" Aqua called once more, roaming behind the elder keybearer.

"Aqua…?" he replied, turning around to catch her back to his. She, too, pivoted her body around to see him. She walked in his direction, as he did to her, and they stared at one another for just a moment once they became close enough, about two feet apart.

"… Is it really you, Terra?" Aqua pondered, looking him up and down. Physically, he didn't seem any different than before. But she could definitely tell there was a new quality that remained obscure to her.

"… It is, Aqua," he answered after a brief pause, reaching his hand out to touch her face. "… Heh… I should be the one asking you that question." He smiles, noticing the small curve of her lips at the instant she heard him laugh. "It's been so long… since I've seen anyone… And the pain has been unbearable… to not even be able to see my own friends."

"Terra…" Aqua began, but was hushed by the brunet.

"You saved me from falling into the darkness." He recalled, staring into her perplexing blue eyes. "You should have let me fall."

"I could never do that!" Aqua protested, Terra blinking a time or two at her remonstration. "… I wasn't going to let you go like that… Not like this…" she mumbled, her gaze shifting away from his, downcast. "I would never have been able to live with myself if I let you go…"

"…"

"… If you disappeared, what would I tell Ven? … What would I tell myself? There would be no point trying to make things better…" she shut her eyes, clenching her fists.

"… But you fell into darkness in place of me." Terra's brows furrowed, hands placed firmly on his hips. "If it weren't for you, I would have been the one scrambling to find the light…"

"Falling into the realm of darkness… made me realize many different things, Terra." Aqua's eyes met his once again, an unusual evenness in her pitch. "… There are two sides to every story… The darkness that overwhelmed you… Perhaps there was a reason for it." Aqua then broke eye contact, shamefully looking away. "If we had both passed our qualification exams… then—"

"What does that have to do with anything?" he interrupted. "Whether we both passed or not, even if things remained the same… Our Master… and you tried to protect me from my inevitable doom." Aqua was silent. "It was my own wrong doing. If I had the slightest sense of what was going on… then we wouldn't be in this situation now."

"… Destiny has intertwined the past with the present," she calmly sated, before turning her body completely away from him. "No matter what… the darkness is always going to exist. It will exist in every heart, no matter how pure..." Now was Terra's turn to listen. "Terra… I believe that it was your destiny to turn to darkness." She concluded, point blank. "To prove a point… that even in the thickest darkness, there is always a light shining through." Her back was facing him, about ready to break the light that still surrounded them; _protected_ them. "You were shrouded in the shadows… and yet now, you still managed to pull through." She smiled, a tear dropping down her cheek. "If you had given in…"

"I'd never give in." Terra approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "And I'd never let the darkness rule my heart… and take the things that matter most to me. My friends…" he made clear. Only now he could feel her body shaking in his grasp.

"… I knew you'd find the light. Even if it did take a while…"

_No matter what the time…_

_You're not alone._

_Destiny forgotten…_

_There's a light leading us… _

… _and it's hard to let it go._

_______

Next chapter will be longer. :3

Reviews are greatly appreciated! Chapter V coming soon.


	5. Chapter V

_Take the Pieces – Build them Skywards _

_Chapter V_

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney or Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics. Nor do I own Sanctuary by Utada.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation theories based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

And in case you didn't read my author's note… I'm not longer making this a "prediction" fanfic. This is now for mere writing/reading pleasure. So please enjoy!

::_Break_::

As the sphere dissipated, Aqua and Terra both emerged. Terra had fallen comatose, which led Ven and Sora to worry over him. "Terra…" Ven muttered, wanting so badly to wake him up again. Aqua let his body lean against her shoulder, as she hoisted him up in between the harness and the back of her keyblade ride. She then turned to Ven and Sora who were mounting their ride. "We must return to the castle… in order to deal with these affairs." Her tone was much more serious than usual, grabbing the attention of the two boys immediately. As they lifted off into the air, a new portal was created for them to travel through. Sora took one last look at the grave, before they departed.

The ride was a calm one. There was hardly any interaction between those who were conscious. Occasionally, Aqua would peer down to check on Terra. He had not stirred once the whole ride, which was a good thing, given he was able to rest easily. After some time, Ven caught up with his blue-haired companion. "Hey, Aqua? What was the huge sphere of light for?" he asked, knowing she was the one who created it.

"I used it to try and calm Terra's state of mind," she explained. "It seemed to work… but it will take much more than that in order to complete him again."

"Right…"

They were quiet again. That is, until Sora broke into conversation. "Hey… you guys?"

"What is it?"

"… Isn't the castle that way?" he pointed in the opposite direction they had chosen to go. Both of them stopped, and made immediate changes in their direction to head back to the right path. And for the first time in a long time, they were all laughing together. Even from the corner of her eye, Aqua caught a glimpse of a smile forming on Terra's face.

_Hold out your hand… _

_There's a light that will lead us_

Having made it back safely to Disney Castle, Mickey approached the group with a satisfied smile. "All of you… You've returned!" he exclaimed, taking a turn to observe Terra's body. "Hm… let him rest… In fact, why don't all of you rest until tomorrow? Our next mission… the others who had been lead amiss will need to be tended to. Now that there are well over three bearers of the keyblade here, you can finally fulfill your promise to everyone, Sora-"

"Then why rest?" Sora intervened, noticing the King's surprised expression. "Things may not change much over night… but don't you think the sooner we save them, the better?" Ven, Aqua and Mickey all exchanged several glances before turning back to Sora.

"Sora…" Aqua rested her hand on Sora's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. "Even the greatest of heroes knows when to take rest. There is no doubt in my mind thinking that taking a momentary break will upset the progress you've made so far."

"Yeah, she's right," Ven put his hand on Sora's other shoulder, grinning. "As long as you remember… Then there's nothing to be sad about."

"… Heh heh, you're right!" the youngest brunet nodded, dragging the other two into a huddle. Mickey smiled.

"I want you to take advantage of the time. Try not to worry yourselves too much." And with that, the King departed.

… _Remember…_

… _Nothing… _

… _Sad…_

The night seemed to come around slow as Ven and Sora sat in the middle of the courtyard, looking up at the stars. Ven laughed, causing Sora to shift his eyes where the other sat, tilting his head to the side. "What is it?"

"Heh… I just can't believe how long it has been… since I've seen the stars."

"Huh… how long?"

"… I'unno. A while, I guess." The two were silent.

"… There sure are a lot of them, huh?"

"Sure are."

"But that just shows us how big the universe really is." A third voice? Sora and Ven looked around wildly, trying to catch a glimpse of the third visitor.

"Who's there?"

"_Who's there?_" the voice repeated in a mocking tone. "Geez, Sora… … Look sharp!"

Sora blinked, suddenly noticing the clone standing directly behind him and Ven.

_Roxas_

"Uh…" Ven began, but didn't know where to finish. "… Who…? … Wait… Hey! You took my face!"

"_Our _face." Roxas rolled his eyes, his translucent form shoving past the two in order to sit in between them.

"… Hold up, Roxas…!? … I thought you were Ven!"

"No, _I'm_ Ven."

"And that would make me Roxas."

"… What?"

"It's because your Ven's heart was split. That is why both Ven _and_ Roxas exist." A fourth voice. The two look alikes spun their heads casually, Sora covering his face with his hands, groaning.

"For the love of-" Sora fixed his gaze over his opposite shoulder, rather annoyed. But the sight of the mysterious fourth figure made him gawk ineptly. 'A… _girl_?'

_Xion_

"Hello." She said to the three boys, Roxas returning her welcoming tone with a smile.

"… Okay, where did you come from?" Sora questioned incredulously, standing up whilst shaking his head, as if he were going insane.

"From you, of course." She giggled at Sora's confusion. Ven was equally as confused, but couldn't express it as well as Sora did.

"Are you another fragment of Sora?" he asked, watching as she sat down between Roxas and Sora.

"Another fragment? I guess… But it would be silly of me to consider myself 'Sora'… since technically, I'm my own person."

"… Where are all of you guys coming from, really…" Sora muttered mostly to himself, but the others heard him in spite of his attempts to remain discrete.

"If you weren't such a sacrificial person, we probably wouldn't be around…" Roxas figured, giving the others (aside from Sora) reason to laugh about this scenario.

"Hah hah… funny… But really…" Sora's tone suddenly became quite staid.

_Who are you…?_

::

As the two youngest of the group went stargazing, Aqua decided to stay behind to watch over Terra. After all the years she had known him, it was difficult to understand what could have lead up to this.

"Terra…" she whispered, shifting her weight to sit at the side of the bed where he lay. She reached her hand out to feel where his heart would normally be beating. There was nothing, which saddened her. She tried her best to smile, but couldn't find it in herself to make it happen.

"I thought my keyblade would be able to show you the light… But I guess it just wasn't good enough." She blamed herself in regards to his state. "I only wish I had been able to help rid your heart of the darkness… Before it could take control." She sighed, removing her hand from his chest back onto her lap clasped together with the other.

Minutes passed before she summoned Rainfall, holding it flat in front of Terra. "Purify…" she murmured, a soft green light enveloping her body and keyblade, eventually surrounding Terra's as well. The light lasted a good few seconds, before the unconscious bearer's eyes shot open, his strong hand grabbing Aqua's forearm tightly. His eyes were not of the familiar dark blue, but an intense gold.

"T-terra… let go…!" she pleaded desperately as his grip tightened, and he sat up staring at her, eyes wide but filled with a disconcerting haze. She tried to pull away, but the constriction he had against her arm became even tighter than before. Being forced to discharge her keyblade, Aqua shifted to stand from where she had once sat, her free hand pulling at his wrists to try and tear him away from her.

He refused to budge, his second hand making forceful contact with her chest, right where her heart resided. She gasped at the impact, the force in his push sending her flying against the bookshelf across the room. The huge crash following the collapse of the shelf attracted the attention of the King as he rushed to see what was going on.

---

"So you… and Roxas… were created from segments of my heart? …" Sora clarified, both Xion and Roxas nodding. "And my memories... alongside Ven's… reside within you, Xion… while Roxas was created when I lost my heart, taking on the form of Ven since I had two hearts inside of me?" Another nod from both, as Sora scratched his chin. "Geez… this is confusing…"

"But how we came to be right now… is just another piece of the puzzle you have to figure out for yourself."

"… Along with all the other people I have to save… Guess this is going to take longer than I'd hoped it would."

"But we're in this together." Xion smiled, her hand resting atop Sora's. "We'll do what we can to help."

Perhaps it was just his gut telling him something was wrong, but at the moment of collision from inside the castle, Ven turned his head away from the group instantly. No one seemed to notice his sudden alter in behavior until he stood up and ran inside, reversed keyblade at hand.

"Ven? …" Without a second thought, Sora stood and chased after the other, Xion and Roxas's forms fading back into one with the brunet.

::

"Aqua!" The king rushed to her side, as she lay beneath the broken bookcase, unresponsive. Terra remained sitting up in bed, his eyes shut tightly, fluttering open and shut every second or two, a hint of gold here and there. Mickey's focus switched back and forth from Terra to Aqua, then Terra again. Just as he was about to summon his own keyblade, Aqua stirred and lifted her body weight from the floor, slipping away from the heavy bookcase that would have crushed her if it weren't for the quick activation of a magic spell in the formation of a crystalline shield.

From the piles of books that were now sprawled out on the floor, she struggled to stand, using her returning keyblade as a crutch. Terra swung his legs from off the bed over the edge, trying to regain control of his body. He fell to his knees, gritting his teeth as an intense emotion swept through him again and again.

"Where is this… coming from…!?" he growled, clutching onto the sides of his head. "Aqua…" he hissed through clenched teeth, his peculiar weapon making an appearance from out of nowhere. "Don't let it take control… I won't!" he declared, pounding a fist into the ground to try and break free from the irrepressible energy. Aqua looked on, not knowing what to do to stop him from hurting himself. It was then she heard Ven's footsteps coming from down the hall.

"Aqua!!" Ven ran into the room, offering his assistance to help her up. But she pushed him back, pointing her keyblade in Terra's direction, the same green glow from her keyblade now shining in unison with the sharp golden irises of the eldest.

"Purify!" she called out once more, a radiating blaze emitting from her keyblade to his body. At that moment, his eyes turned from gold, to lucid silver, eventually back to blue, as he collapsed back to the ground, exhausted from the struggle. She, too, fell to her knees, still leaning on the keyblade for support, breathing heavily. Ven knelt down beside her, his head bowed slightly as Sora met him at the door.

"What happened…?" the young brunet asked, out of breath. Ven shook his head, not really understanding himself what just went down, as he was hoping Aqua would have a better answer for them. Taking immediate notice to the sudden crowd in the room, she was irritated.

"Please… everyone, can you leave us be?" she inquired simply. Ven could never remember hearing such sternness in her tone… not since that day in Radiant Garden when she told him to return back home. He knew that she was just trying to figure things out because she cared… but it hurt him that he couldn't even be of assistance to the cause.

With a very faint smile, he turned and went out to sit in the hall, Sora waiting a moment before following him to the side. Mickey, on the other hand, wanted to keep an eye on them in case Terra went berserk again. But she would not tolerate it, in complete disregard to his higher standards.

"Your majesty… with all do respect… just a moment?" she insisted. It took a little while, but he finally retreated from his post to head back to his chambers further down the hall. He bid goodnight to the two youngest slouched down outside the door, before proceeding to his room. Ven listened carefully, wanting to pick out even bits and pieces of their conversation; as much as he could attain.

--

For a good, long while, all was quiet. It wasn't long before the silence was broken, Ven hearing the shift of someone's weight on the other side of the wall. He gradually tilted his head closer toward the doorframe to get a peek of what he was missing out on.

Aqua was leaning against the wall, keyblade still at hand, eyes still on Terra. He was also looking at her, both seemingly worn out, trying to figure out what to do—what to say—for that matter. Finally, Terra spoke up, eyes downcast. "Aqua… I'm sorry-"

"No, I'm sorry…" He blinked at her, noticing her gaze drifting away from him, to the floor. "I should have let you deal with the darkness on your own… I shouldn't have tried that spell on you. It was too dangerous…" She was silent following her apology. She hadn't noticed his approach until she looked up and he was already sitting at her side, inspecting her arm where he nearly bruised the skin.

"I just can't trust myself anymore…" he muttered, massaging the area he assumed ached the most with a much gentler touch than before. As he intently looked up at her, she had turned her face to hide the slight blush covering her cheeks. A slight smile crept onto his lips as he then reached a hand to her heart. Rather than the cold darkness tugging at her heartstrings, however, comforting warmth emanated from his contact.

"Terra…" she breathed, smiling back. "… Since when did you learn magic?"

"… Wandering aimlessly in the darkness by yourself… You have to find _something_ to do."

Ven watched from his spot, not being able to resist the nonchalant smile forming to create his own expression. He then stood, offering a hand to help Sora up.

"Long day tomorrow. Let's get some rest."

"… Right." Both boys exchanged equally satisfied smiles, as they headed off to the room designated for them.

"Hey, Sora?"

"Hm?" Sora gazed across the room where Ven lay on the opposite bed from the window.

"I'm happy." The blond beamed, turning his body so that his back faced the wall so he could see Sora.

"Oh?" Sora grinned. "And why's that?"

"Coz… I think we can pick up the pieces of the past with ease now."

"Hm? … Why do you say that?"

The curve in Ven's smile grew. "For the first time in eleven years… I haven't seen them smile together…" he then yawned, and almost instantly fell into sleep. Sora chuckled a bit, turning out the light near the windowsill.

"Night, Ven."

_I watch you… fast asleep_

_All I fear_

_Means nothing…_

______

Told ya it would be longer. And even though creating the Tequa pairing would most definitely ruin the good KH vibe… I've decided to just go with what my heart tells me to do.

And my heart is telling me to Tequa away. :) Because I really do think they would do wonderful together.

Reviews greatly appreciated! Critique a bit too, if you want. I always look forward to a good constructive critique.

Oh... and in regards to that "purify" thing Aqua pulled off before... that will be explained in further depth between the next chapter and the middle of the story. :)


	6. Chapter VI

_Take the Pieces – Build them Skywards _

_Chapter VI_

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney or Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

::A Fresh Start::

_And who knows?_

_Starting a new journey may not be so hard._

_Or maybe… it has already begun._

Sora woke up groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stretched his arms high over his head. "Morning? Already? Feels like I've been asleep for… ten minutes." He determined, glancing at the clock that bore a stare down at him. "Six…" he yawned, walking over to wake the bundle of blankets that, to the best of his knowledge, was Ven.

"Ven… hey, wake up lazy bones," he demanded with a decent shake, eventually flipping the bed sheets so he could let the cold air hit the blond's body…

But he wasn't there.

Confused, Sora dug through some of the blankets, walking out down the hall to the spare room where Terra and Aqua were left. 'They're like family… he's probably with them,' he figured, knocking on the door lightly before coming in. "You guys awake?"

"Hm…?" Terra's eyes opened slowly, looking around at his surroundings. He and Aqua had fallen asleep on the ground at the foot of the bed. She was still sound asleep, her body next to his, head resting against his. "Good morning, Sora."

"Mornin'… Uh… is Ven with you?" the young brunet asked, trying to see if he was in there from where he stood.

"If he were… he snuck in pretty quietly, and hid himself very well… otherwise, he snuck out of here while we slept, to watch the sunrise…" Terra figured, using his free hand to scratch the back of his head. "Wasn't he with you before?"

"Yeah… but he's gone now."

Neither of the two seemed very concerned about it. If there were something wrong, if not all three of the key wielders, at least one of them would sense some kind of danger. Sora looked down at Aqua, then back at Terra.

"I'll go find him. You can stay here. I don't want her to wake up if she's asleep…"

"Kind of you to offer, but that's all right." Terra then shifted a little, hoping it would waken her. "She was never one for sleeping… for as long as I've known her. I'm sure that hasn't changed…"

"Yeah. Maybe." Sora found it rather intriguing to meet keyblade wielders, much like himself, from a past time period. In a way, it inspired him to train to become even stronger, seeing where years and years of dedication had brought them.

Aqua's eyes fluttered open, cerulean irises studying Terra briefly, until she remembered what lead up to this in the first place. "Oh…" was all she said, leaning away from him, sitting up on her own, yawning tiredly.

"Mornin', Aqua!" Sora greeted, whereas Terra watched as she slowly drifted out of dreamland.

"Good morning, Sora," she responded, a gentle smile gracing her features. Her attention shifted to the elder brunet following another yawn. "Good morning, Terra…" she repeated to him, her tone seemingly more hushed than before.

Sora, being typical Sora, smirked mischievously.

"Looked really comfortable there…" His remark seemed to call forth a blush on both Terra and Aqua's cheeks, the two turning away from one another.

"Well… it was late. And we were tired."

"Must have just dozed off that way. Nothing more, nothing less."

It was amusing to hear them both try and cover up for the fact that they slept well…

Accident, or not…

_

The three, without Ven, asked Mickey about his whereabouts. Of course, he hadn't a clue. Instead, they decided to head on out to find him.

"I hope he didn't run off to venture the other worlds…" Aqua seemed worried, per usual. She was never fond of him wandering off by himself, let alone traveling the universes to find new areas to explore. Even now, after all these years, it was hard to accept the fact he was at the point where he could fend himself off.

She still had the right to worry for his safety, as she would for anyone else.

"It's not healthy to treat him like a child, even though he is one…" Terra noted his concerned friend, but she shook her head as a quick response.

"I know…" she paused as they continued their stride. "… I just don't know where to start searching, if he did. Who knows where he may have ended up…"

"Right under your noses, maybe?" The three jumped, almost in perfect sync, turning their heads in hopes that it was Ven.

And, oh… look. There he is.

He swung the Fresh Breeze keyblade in between his fingers, letting it disappear after a few roundabouts. He grinned. "Sleeping in, huh? Don't we have some people to save?"

"Been inspired lately? You're never up early…" Terra crossed his arms, returning the grin.

"In my head, yeah, he is…" Sora shrugged, the blue-haired woman laughing quietly.

"Nah, Sora… You're just getting up pretty late," Ven said smugly, joining the group, feeling slightly left out.

"Where were you?" Sora asked, stretching. "Left without waking me up? Gee… thanks."

"I was exercising. Using my time wisely, if you will…" Ven gave the three looks of disapproval. "While you two slept like a happy, married couple, this _bear_ over here couldn't stop rambling in his sleep while 'racing Riku for the _golden fruit_'… And losing pretty badly."

Aqua turned away, flustered. "Like… _a what_?"

"A happy. Married. C-"

"We heard you the first time," Sora groaned, huffing while shoving his hands in his pockets. "… And I was closer than you think to that paopu tree…"

"Don't you mean the 'golden fruit'?"

"Shut up, Terra."

They laughed, forgetting for the moment that there was anything they had to worry about.

And it was a wonderful moment, indeed.

_We pray for our sorrows to end_

_And hope that our hearts will blend…_

_Now,_ I _will step forward…_

_To realize this wish…_

::

The four approached the structure in which the Gummi Ship was stored away.

"Here it is!" Sora exclaimed, giving the toy-like vehicle a hearty pat. "This is how _I_ ventured the worlds…"

Aqua and Terra stared bluntly at it, trying to figure out how it worked from the outer shell.

"It's…"

"Colorful." Aqua finished for Terra.

"And it flies fast, too!" Ven remarked, remembering flying in it when he was one with Sora. The two oldest of the four exchanged a glance before laughing.

"Like a kid in a candy shop…"

"More like a toy shop…" Aqua found herself in admiration of his childishness.

"Candy shop, toy shop… all pertaining to the fondest of childhood memories," Terra elaborated, receiving a satisfied smile from the bluenette.

"Hey, hey…! You have to admit it's pretty cool…"

"Well…" Terra didn't want to ruin the moment Ven was having, but he wasn't afraid to think that the Keyblade Rides were _much_ cooler.

"Well, we could give our Rides a break." Aqua suggested, a glint of excitement sparking in Ven's eyes. "Come on. At least we won't have to worry about getting separated."

"True that…" Terra took the thought into consideration, eventually nodding in agreement. "Sounds like a plan."

"Sora!" Ven sharply averted his gaze from his older companions, eyes locked on Sora. "Can I drive it?"

"Uhm…" The idea of Ven driving it frightened Sora quite a bit. Although he couldn't judge whether or not the other would be able to drive in a straight line, empathy took control of his better judgement.

"Sure. Why not?" Sora grinned. "After all… You still have a good chunk of me in your heart. Maybe you got the better half of my driving ability." He sounded proud when he spoke, but Ven was already in the seat, messing with a control or two that he watched Sora use.

Aqua and Terra observed from a distance, entertained, to say the least. Shoulders slumped slightly, Sora entered the ship after Ven, eventually followed by the elders.

"Okay… this big red button is the start-up?"

"No… that's for evacuation."

"… Which does… what?"

"It empties everything out, sucking it into space."

"Sounds violent…" Aqua remarked, slightly nervous about the idea of Ven driving. And the very thought of Ven's innocent fun turning into a mass homicide just occurred to her. Terra snickered.

"I'm sure he'll be fine… But in any case… Why not have Sora work the controls… while Ven steers?" The suggestion seemed to be well taken by all three, much to Aqua's relief.

'Thank you,' she seemed to mouth, Terra nodding slightly in response. The engine of the colorful contraption roared, as it slowly lifted out of place, into the clear sky overhead. A portal suddenly appeared, and they were gone in a mere instant.

--

All four were used to traveling between worlds through infinite space, even if time lapses differed greatly from place to place.

But no matter where they ended up, the in-between regions of stars were always the most beautiful of anywhere they've ever been.

"All right, Ven…" Sora began, sitting in the second seat beside him. "This yellow button… it will start flashing once we approach a world. A world in which we can enter, okay?" Ven nodded. "When it starts flashing… You press it to enter into the world. You can't just keep going into it. You'll crash." He received yet another nod from the blond. "And about the green button… that big one right next to the red one. We use that one to open the sky-roof above." Ven turned his eyes on Sora, curious.

"Sky roof? What for?" He was perplexed. "Not much to see out here…"

"Trust me. It's worth it."

"…" Ven then pressed the green button, looking up at the roof.

Other than Sora, the remaining keybearers gasped in astonishment.

"It's… beautiful…" Aqua's eyes dazzled, as she walked closer toward the center of the huge, crystal-clear dome overhead. Terra followed her, peering up above. He then looked down at Aqua, noticing how each tiny star, every world, seemed to illuminate her features in soft light. And even though he couldn't explain why, but he very much enjoyed it.

Seeing her happy, after enduring years of inexplicable physical and emotional pain, was enough to make him try and become a better person: to make up for everything he has done to everyone.

"Wow…" Ven breathed, staring up at the stars. Moments passed, and suddenly, the ship staggered back and forth in such a violent manner, Ven was thrown from his seat, Terra and Aqua being tossed along the furthest left side of the area where they stood. Fortunately, Terra had enough time to use his body as a cushion so she wouldn't feel as much impact when they hit.

Sora grabbed onto the back of the main seat, dragging his weight forward to sit at the steering wheel, bringing their ride back on track. Once the incident passed, Ven stood up quietly, taking up the second seat.

"You drive…" he insisted, sheepishly.

"It's okay…" Sora responded in just as quiet a voice.

Silence ensued, but laughter filled the back room not even a few minutes into the smoother transition of transport. The oldest bearer's simply sat there where they landed, laughing so hard, tears began to well-up in their eyes.

Ven didn't see the amusement in their 'near-death-experience'. "We could have died just now."

"Yes, yes…" Aqua wiped a tear forming before it fell down her cheek, giggling as she spoke. "But we also could have died years back." She received no neutral response from all three. Her smile then lessened, eyes closing slowly.

"Aqua…"

"Terra…" Ven approached Terra as he sat there, the brunet's gaze eventually breaking from her. Ven then sat beside them, a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If you think about it…" he chuckled. "… Yeah, in reality, we could have ended up killing one another…" he then paused. "But… that would have been weird… since we're such good friends."

"Good, back-stabbing friends…"

"Terra…" Aqua suddenly sharpened her tone, not fond of the way Terra referred himself. But despite her attempt at sounding brasher, it was still quite soft. Sora listened on, keeping his eyes in front of him so they wouldn't encounter anything else to crash into.

"No…" the oldest brunet shook his head, before Aqua could continue. "Things may change… for better, or for worse…" his gaze was intense, looking between his two cohorts. "But nothing will ever amend for the mistakes I have made… And what they have done to you." It was hard to tell if he meant that towards Aqua or Ven… Maybe both.

"Terra… It won't be like this forever." With a smile, Aqua embraced him lightly. She even let her arm drape around Ven's shoulder to bring him into the hug. Happily, Ven let his arms swing around to bring all three of them closer.

"We can let the past be the past. But we don't want the future to be the past, too."

Aqua nodded. "Ven's right…" She then grabbed the charm from her pocket (she must have removed it from her keyblade before), squeezing it with ease. "You can't give up. We won't let you."

Ven also reached for his charm, holding in his hand. "As long as we stick together, we'll pull through."

Unsure of how to react at first, Terra finally gave in with a smile, pulling his own charm from his pocket as they did. He gripped it tightly, returning their affection. "Together… I promise, I won't let you down again."

As this went on, Sora smiled, entering the openness of the spatial inter-galactic, where the stars were plentiful in groups and bunches; the hearts of each world were shining the brightest they've ever been before.

_There are many worlds…_

_But they share the same sky—_

_One sky…_

_One destiny…_

___________

Reader reviews appreciated as always.

Thank you for the continued support. I'm really beginning to like this… And even though Sora is, and will remain, the central focus of this fic, Terra and Aqua are the main pairing. I'd make another pairing… But I really don't want this to be filled with hysteric "just because it's canon" pairing, you know what I mean?

Future fics, I may consider some suggestions… But please don't suggest them here. Send me a private message. : )

Thank you!

(Quick note, since I just noticed this... But this was pretty short, in my opinion... I was hoping to hit well over 3,000 words again... ah well. I was going to end it at a later point... but that last line was such a good finisher for a chapter on my part... I don't really care, I'll get to the next chapter right now if I must. But there's a better chance it won't finish itself over night... Heh.)


	7. Chapter VII

_Take the Pieces – Build them Skywards _

_Chapter VII_

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney or Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

______

_The closer you get to the light…_

_The greater your shadow becomes…_

The ride was long. The dazzling stars were far off in the distance now, no longer lingering overhead. Ven and Sora had fallen asleep, the Gummi ship shifting into an autopilot mode. Terra had also fallen into a light sleep, but was woken suddenly by the sound of movement off in the distance.

He opened one eye, noticing Aqua in the back of the ship where the overhead window was still open. She, too, had fallen asleep, though it appears she did so while still gazing up at the sky. She was lying on her side, legs somewhat brought closer to her chest, features quite relaxed. He smiled, and approached her, kneeling down and resting his hand on her shoulder. "It's cold out here, isn't it?" he said in a slight whisper, though she didn't respond.

Before Terra could wake her, the ship shook. He whipped his head around, noticing the autopilot function had turned itself off. "Oh no…" Instead of running to the captain's seat, he rushed over to wake Sora. With a grunt of frustration, Sora opened his eyes and blinked tiredly at Terra.

"Mm… what's up?"

"The ship's autopilot is off!"

"What?" Sora started with a jump, heading immediately to the controls. "Wait… it wasn't supposed to deactivate until we reached our destination!" He then brought his hands to the steering wheel, trying to bring them back on the path. The wheel wasn't responding, however.

The ship continued to rock, and eventually began hurdling violently from side to side, as it did before. "Terra!" The brunet's head turned, spotting Ven leaping in their direction. "What's happening?"

"The ship lost control, but…—!? " he was cut off when everything began to spin. Out of the blue, he remembered Aqua was still in the back. "Aqua!" he ran as fast as he could to see if she was being tossed about.

But she wasn't there.

"Terra! Ven! Sora!" they heard a muffled voice coming from the other room of the ship. The three in the control room turned their heads, all but Sora going to see where she was. Beyond the room with the roof, there was another branching off from there.

"Aqua…! Where did you go!?" Ven shouted, noticing an open door leading to the outside of the ship. And as one would expect, everything was being sucked out into the empty space.

Suddenly pale, Terra ran to the door, but was held back by Ven. "Wait, Terra! Your armor!" But the older one pulled away.

"What does it matter? Aqua doesn't have her armor either!" His head dropped. "If something happened to her…" There was dead silence between the two for a few moments, until Terra ran for the door again. "Go help Sora."

"But… what can I do?" Ven seemed unsure. "You saw what I did earlier…"

"Ven…" Terra began, sending the blond a confident glance. "I trust you. And right now, Sora could probably use the help."

"As Aqua could use yours," Sora came in hurriedly, hearing their whole conversation. He then tossed Terra a cable wire, which he then attatched to the side of the ship from the inside. "In case something happens… tug on the cord, and we'll pull you two in!"

The older brunet gave a swift nod, attaching the other end to the cross section of the red straps across his chest, heading out the door, creeping along the outside of the ship making sure he wouldn't fall. Sora then grabbed Ven's hand.

He smiled. "Come on, we'll fix this together!"

--

"Aqua…" Terra muttered, his eyes searching for his friend. He then caught a glimpse of a blue light emitting from the top of the vessel. He made his way up from the side, hands gripping every ledge he could reach from where he was. Upon arriving at the top, he saw Aqua there, standing, the keyblade acting as an extension of her own arm. A blue light enveloped both the blade and her, eyes closed as she tried to ease their flight with her magic.

"Wait, Aqua!" He called again, struggling to reach her. She opened her eyes finally, attention fully on him.

"Terra…!" it was hard to tell what her expression was like, since the blue light had become brighter, concealing most of her body by now. Crystallized ice formations began to take form from her boots, up her legs and near her thighs. She gritted her teeth, motioning for him to stay away. "Go back inside! You'll get hurt out here!"

In complete disregard to her warning, he made his way up to the very top, using the cable to latch onto one of the pink straps crossing over her back. "_Me_? _I'm_ the one who'll get hurt? You'll be _killed_ if you stay out here like this!" he retorted, starting to pull her back. "Sora and Ven are working on this inside. We have to return there where it's safe!"

Aqua seemed frustrated, pulling the chord back. "No, Terra. You don't understand!"

"What is there to understand!? Playing hero isn't what this game is all about!"

"… Playing hero? … You think this is a game?" She simply stared at him. But before she could say anything else, a wave of energy engulfed the ship. Instinctively, Aqua pushed Terra away and off the edge so he could swing back inside; she was completely unaware that he had the cord hooked onto her as well, though, and they both got dragged down. In mid swing, everything seemed to come to a halt.

Frozen in the unmoving emptiness, Aqua's body remained aloft, the brunet's eyes following her carefully. He attempted to tug at the cord to bring her back down, but it seemed that some force was holding it in place. Within the fraction of the second that passed, a sharp red aura split from Aqua's soft blue one, zipping off into nothingness. As soon as it dissipated, gravity and time seemed to start moving once again.

Lifelessly, her body continued to fall, Terra catching her before she was left hanging at the end of the line. He then tugged on it, keeping the bluenette close to him. "Sora!" he shouted, in hopes that everything was okay inside.

"Terra!" Ven and Sora approached the door, looking down at them. "It wasn't the ship— Some magic force meddled with the control system! The whole thing is corrupt!" Ven notified him.

Mouth slightly agape, Terra was unsure of how to respond. '_She was using her magic…to dispose of the force interacting from the outside…' _He thought for a brief second, shaking the thoughts from his head, nodding. "Pull us in! I think the tie is slipping!"

Quickly, Sora ran for the other end of the rope, pulling as hard as he could. "Grab it from the front, and pull Ven!"

Without a moment to lose, Ven desperately grabbed it from the open door, using all the strength his body could muster to get them back inside. Everything seemed to be going well, until the startling sound of the cord splitting rang in their ears.

Eyes wide, Terra urgently began to use the side of the ship to climb along the side to reach the door. At that point, it was already too late. When their only means of salvage snapping in two, the two oldest key wielders were launched into a hectic frenzy of hot, yet cold, space rocks, diving deeper and deeper into space.

"Terra! Aqua!" Ven cried out, wanting to jump in after them, as if that would make things any better. Sora had the strength to keep him back, however, leaving Ven a wreck.

A helpless, lonely wreck.

_Don't be afraid…_

Terra felt as though he and Aqua had been falling for eternity, even though that was anything but the case.

"_Is this the end, now…?_

_Is this… how we're going to die?"_

_-_

_D o n ' t b e a f r a i d . . . _

_-_

"_But…"_

Terra could feel his hidden emotions welling up inside him, threatening to spill over.

"… _I don't want to die…" _

A burst of refracted light emitted from the Rainstorm, summoned unconsciously by Aqua, as it lead them in a different direction other than 'downwards', now heading straight into the world that lie ahead of them.

_You hold the strongest weapon…_

_In the world…_

--

Sora and Ven sat quietly in the ship, floating amidst the stars in front of what would have been their next destination, Radiant Garden, the door where the other two exited now shut tightly.

"Ven…" Sora commenced, afraid that he would be lashed at if he gave the other a comforting touch. "Ven… I'm sorry…"

"No, Sora…" the blond sighed. "I just…"

"… Just?" Sora waited for him to continue.

"I …… Just…" he brought his legs to his chest, gripping the charm Aqua gave him tightly. "… Don't like being alone…"

"But…" he thought for some time before continuing. "… I'm still here."

Ven smiled slightly, his eyes hazing over as he bore his stare into the sparkling lights before him. "I know…" he opened his mouth to say something, but the words couldn't find their way out. Instead, he buried his head into his arms.

He didn't react much when Sora gave his back a placated pat… Then as the blond started to laugh did Sora pull away to some extent.

"Ven…" Said boy's broken smile never wavered as Sora called him out.

"It's funny…" he couldn't stop himself from chuckling, a lesson that the two elders always reminded him of: never lose your ability to laugh. "Here, I thought… We could go back to the way things used to be…"

"… Fate works in funny ways." Ven looked up at Sora, his expression souring briefly, breaking away from contact soon after.

"And it makes this such an imperfect world…"

"Nothing's perfect, Ven."

"Yeah…" Both boys said nothing to one another for a long time.

"Hey, Ven?"

"Hm?"

"… I'm sure they're fine."

Ven blinked. "Why do you say that?" Sora grinned, pointing outside. Curious, the other turned around to see the brunet's reference. Two glowing objects were soaring away, intertwining trails of light through the darkness, heading beyond the worlds into the cosmos. And just as Ven realized what the objects were, he sighed with much relief, his lips curving in with his smile.

"Come home safely..."

_Thinking of you…_

_Wherever you are..._

_--_

When Terra awoke, the first thing to obstruct his vision was his keyblade sticking up in the ground beside him. "Ah…" he smiled, sitting up to remove it, allowing it to disappear. Just then, he remembered that Aqua fell with him. He stood hastily, something warm gripping onto his arm. Startled, he jumped back, his blade aimed at the one who dared to touch him in such a vulnerable state.

"Terra!"

Of course, just Aqua.

… Aqua…!

"You're all right!" the brunet exclaimed, refraining himself from embracing her—it would be far too embarrassing if he squealed like the little girl he was probably acting like.

"Of course. What did you expect?" she tapped her foot, seemingly disappointed in his behavior. "Even _you_ know me better than that, Terra…" an affectionate charm filled her tone, as she dug the tip of her right boot into the soft earth they stood over.

Normally, Terra would continue the teasing. But what first grabbed his attention was _her_ abrupt change in mannerisms. "Hit your head too hard on the ground? Or does your lady-like charisma only come out when we have no idea where we are after being thrown off of a flying rainbow spacecraft?" She giggled.

"Let's go with the first one." Her expression then softened. "But really… Some sort of feeling… just came over me." As if filled with an ecstatic contentment, she spun around, falling into the tall grass that seemed to be all around this area. "As if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders… I don't know what it may be, but it feels… _fantastic_."

"Fantastic, hm…" Terra watched as she fell into the grass, eventually deciding to take note on their surroundings.

They were in a meadow; filled with lush, green, green grass, a countless variety of wildflowers, finished by a small lake off in the distance. "Sure is peaceful…"

"_Very_ peaceful…" Aqua sighed, sitting up, tugging at Terra's arm. "Come, sit here with me. The breeze feels great."

The male shook her off, only noticing the hurt expression in her eyes after he retracted the offer. "You're acting funny…"

She was quiet for a second, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Terra, but…" she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know… I just feel… light."

"Light?"

"Yeah… Like a feather, I mean…" she swung her arms over her head to stretch, the white half-sleeves slipping down as she relaxed her muscles.

He stood over her, scanning the vast area quite a few times, like a hawk watching over it's nest. "Well… Ven, Sora and I… we can't afford to lose you over the ecstasies nature has to offer you."

She laughed this time. "You don't have to tell me that!" She smiled sweetly. "Ven and Sora… they're okay, I'm sure of it. I used my remaining magic to assist the Gummi ship to get back on course… before we ended up here."

"Oh?" Terra quirked a brow toward his blue-haired counterpart, folding his arms together. "Where are we then?

"This land… there's a meadow, a forest and a river. The animals live peacefully here, but most notably is the King of this forest."

"There's a King?" Terra's interest seemed to be perked. "Who is it?"

Aqua smiled. "Bambi."

___________

Talk about a wrap! Geez…

Ah hah, this was very emo...

... and shorter than intended... I really have to work on making these longer...

I've been reading a lot of fanfics lately… And noticed the smart use of worlds in many of them. I'm not using worlds as a primary focus (generally because I haven't watched too many Disney movies as of late), and I don't want to copy each idea exactly, so rather, I'm trying to avoid content clashing by using worlds that I haven't seen used yet. My first world is Bambi's world. And as a reminder note, being after KHII, my guess is that Bambi has grown up into a fine stag.

And I have no intention to have Terra or Aqua change into a forest animal. My reasons are simply because that would make the whole idea rather cliché… Besides… We don't want every KH character ani-morphing.

Hah hah.

… I don't own Animorphs.

Reviews are kindly appreciated. :3


	8. Chapter VIII

_Take the Pieces – Build them Skywards _

_Chapter VIII_

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney or Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

Spoilers start now. Yes, even in the intro prior to the chapter.

Surxi25~ Hey! Thanks for the review. Eh, a long while back, I actually decided after watching Aqua's ending (basically, everything else… hah), I sorta blew Terra's ending as well. And now that I see how it went down… I'll be putting in an after-thought. You'll see how it goes… but until then, yeah I get it now. Thank you though! Terra will be explained-ish in future chapters…

…

I also JUST realized my fault with Ven. A lot of them, actually. Ven, Roxas and Xion… I made a mistake that is bugging me. So… I will remedy that as well.

Same with Aqua. She lost the Rainstorm keyblade. I just realized that… For now, I'll keep it the way it is… …

… this is really getting off of what my original plan was. ._. … It bugs me so… much.

On with the chapter, regardless… .____.'

______

After making a safe landing in Radiant Garden, Sora and Ven started for the center of the majestic city. Ever since the world's restoration had begun, the frightened people and children had started straying away from the safety of their homes into the streets once more. Now bustling with friendly townsfolk, it was just a little bit harder to navigate freely.

"'Scuse me, sir… pardon me, miss…" Sora muttered quite a few times, keeping a sharp eye on Ven, who was right behind him; it was hard to miss him. He really was the only one in the crowd with even the slightest bit of armor on.

Sora grinned, and called back to him. "Hey, keeping up okay?"

"Piece of cake!" Ven responded, ducking his head from the 'sea' of people (more like a puddle), popping up instantly at Sora's side. Taken aback slightly, Sora felt his weight fall behind him as he leaned against one of the tall street lamps.

"Geez… you're fast."

"It's only my specialty!" the blond bragged, but Sora was not impressed.

"Let's see you try that ag-" but before Sora could finish, Ven was gone in an instant, on the other side of the crowd. He waved to the other, a smug grin forming on his face.

"Hi Sora."

"You little sneak…" Sora chuckled, racing after Ven through the people, off to where the old castle of 'Hollow Bastion' once stood.

'_At least he's smiling again…'_

---

"Bambi?" Terra questioned, following Aqua through the tall grass.

She nodded. "In the library at the castle… I found a book about him. Apparently, after what had happened…" she paused. "You know… to us… Bambi was born, destined to become King of the forest, following in his father's footsteps."

"So now he is King…" Terra muttered, receiving a brief nod from the other.

"All we need to worry about in this world are hunters… and forest fires. I figured that this could be a possible safe haven… if we run into any trouble on this mission. Especially since there are unlikely to be any Unverse… or Nobodies or Heartless here" she said the last two names with some unfamiliarity in her tone.

"Hunters… forest fires… because those two factors _totally_ make this a safe place to find refuge." Terra mocked, though his tone made it clear he was only joking.

"It's a cold season around this time…" Aqua guesstimated. "And I know there are a few ways we can stop gunmen…"

"Name two."

"Magic." She smiled. "And communication. They're only human."

"I'm sure if we whip out our keyblades from thin air against their guns… they'd surely not think the same of us."

Terra grinned, receiving a resentful shrug from his blue-haired companion.

"We would talk to them _first_, Terra…" she explained, continuing her stride through the grass. "And if all means of communication fails us… then we'll resort to an offensive strategy… but I highly doubt we'll have to worry about them anyways."

Tracing the trail behind Aqua, the brunet raised a brow. "Why do you say that?"

"Chances are if they see us, other humans… they'll not bother to speak so they can hunt."

"… Could be." He trailed off in thoughts, until Aqua stopped dead in her tracks. "What is it?"

"Look…" her eyes were locked on something in the distance. The meadow below was covered in tall, green grass, flooded with colorful wildflowers. Somewhere toward the center of the scene was a tall stag standing beside a doe and two fawns.

---

"Why are we here?" Ven frowned, looking up and down the walls of the blue canyon.

"Coz…" Sora was now walking in front of Ven, leading the way to the ruins of the castle. "Maybe something here will help me bring everything back together."

"Here? In this place? I don't know…"

"Why are you so unsure?" Sora raised a brow, staring hard at his counter-part.

"Well…" Ven crossed his arms, shaking his head. "If memory serves me right… … You have to bring together those that are connected to you. Right?" Sora nodded. "… What does this place have to do with it?"

"…" It was as if Sora's demeanor suddenly changed. His optimistic energy seemed to diminish, a subtle uneasiness rising up between them. "This is where I lost my heart, to save everyone… This is where Roxas was born." Ven still couldn't connect the two together.

"Yeah. Roxas is inside of you, not this place… So why here?"

All Ven received in response was more silence from the other keybearer. As soon as the blond opened his mouth, Sora began to speak once again. "Here, I became a heartless. I couldn't comprehend anything. I felt like I was falling… forever, into oblivion." There was a brief pause before Sora continued. "From what I remember being told… Aqua fell into darkness… Terra was taken over by darkness… And even you were split, between the forces of light and darkness…"

"… So you came here… to… reflect?"

"… I don't know." Sora shrugged his shoulders, slumping down into a sitting position, leaning on his hands as he sat back. "I don't even know where to begin…" Suddenly, another form appeared alongside the two boys. It was Roxas.

"If it's true… That Xion and I are merely fragments of you and Ven… Just maybe we can become one, by returning to the place where we split."

"But Xion…" Sora was confused. "I only split with you, Roxas… Right? I can't even think of how she came to be."

"Well… the truth is-" before Roxas could continue, a huge roar was heard off in the distance. All three of them turned in the direction of the noise, exchanging a few glances with one another before reacting, on instinct, running toward the sound.

---

The pair watched the deer off in the distance for quite some time, before Aqua decided to take a step forward. Terra tapped her on the shoulder, making her head turn to face him. "What's wrong?"

"They're deer, Aqua. They're timid by nature. They won't stay like that very long… and let you get close to them."

"I know." She smiled at him, brushing his hand away gently. "But I want to make them familiar with us. Recognition among animals builds trust between them and their familiars…"

"We're not familiars… we're humans," Terra retorted.

"Not as a specie familiar, Terra," Aqua explained. "A common face that they can associate with. As long as we keep to ourselves, I'm sure they'll get used to our frequent visits."

"Maybe…" Terra watched as she continued down a small grass trail, probably created from other animals that have traveled before them. It was only a few short seconds before he began to follow her. The stag was the first to spot them, keeping his gaze focused on the pair as they came closer. The doe eventually joined the male as he stared them down. As for the two young fawns, they were too busy playing with a small butterfly to notice the keybearers progression toward them.

Aqua smiled. "I only wish we could all enjoy today… like they do." Terra's eyes dropped down on his companion, noticing her envious gaze as she stopped to watch the tiny deer frolic about.

In his own way, he was jealous of them, too. Far too innocent and young to this world to realize how cruel it truly is. As if unintentionally, he caught himself off-guard, emitting a laugh that caused Aqua to turn around to face him. She tilted her head slightly, offering him a questionable glance. They stared at one another for a few moments, before laughing off the awkwardness of the situation.

The moment didn't last long, when the sound of a devastating roar filled the air. The two reacted immediately, summoning their keyblades, Gaia Bane and Rainstorm, and running off into the meadow. The four deer were long gone, but they must have made it away safely since there was no evidence of a bloody struggle. Relieved, Aqua let her arm drop to her side, but brought it back up when something shot at the two.

Whatever it was, she managed to deflect the object with ease, watching as it fell to the earth and disintegrated. Terra and Aqua stood back-to-back, eyes darting from side to side, waiting for the creature to reveal itself.

"It's as if we can't just be left alone…" Terra growled through gritted teeth. His fist became tightly clenched around his keyblade, but loosened when he felt Aqua's back lean against his own. He turned, noticing her wide-eyed focus was not on him, but something straight ahead of her.

"What is it? … Aqua?" he asked, eyes following her steadily rising hand as she pointed to something off in the forest.

Or rather, the forest itself.

"I don't see anything, Aq-" before he could finish, the ground shook and the trees surrounding the quiet pasture began to rustle. Two of the larger trees marking the forest's entrance suddenly rose from the earth that bound them, huge clouds of dust forming and sweeping through the grassy field as they came closer to the sky. A giant beast-like creature, made up of trees, foliage and giant boulders, towered high above Terra and Aqua, quite possibly a good 75 feet over their heads.

Both keybearers were stunned at this point, not even sure if their keyblades would do the job to stop this creature. It roared again, a dark aura surrounding its' entire form. It seemed to drop what could be the head down on the two, taking a giant gnarled claw and sweeping it in their direction. The gigantic root-like claw created a powerful gust of wind, forcing both keybearers to recoil from the now razor sharp foliage and sand. The unexpected gust did not give them the time to avoid the hit, the claw hitting Aqua first, Terra shortly after. Both of them were sent flying, Terra shot through a series of trees on the opposite end of the forest, whilst Aqua was hurled into a rock formation somewhere near a tiny lake closer to the foot of the beast.

The impact was tremendous. Terra opened one eye, but quickly shut it tight when he moved his legs. An enormous pain shot through his whole body when he attempted to shift his weight. "Damn it…" he cursed, tears nearly forming in the corners of his eyes in reaction to the pain.

It couldn't be said if Aqua was doing much better. Her whole right side connected with the sharp stones as she was thrown. From there, she landed heavily back to the ground on the same side, a searing pain nearly engulfing her entire consciousness. Her eyes were closed, though it was clear that she was also suffering the same as her friend. "T-terra…!" she gasped, coming to realize that the pain was more than just in her head. Was her arm broken? Or maybe it was her leg? She couldn't tell. She could feel the cuts and bruises on her entire right side beginning to form and swell, the purple fabric of her sash now torn and frayed.

The giant then dropped down to Aqua, a series of roots and vines aiming for her. "Aqua!" Terra watched as the wild flora moved erratically toward her, growling angrily. He used all the strength he could muster to lift himself from his spot, and summon his keyblade once more. As the weapon appeared in his hands, he slung it toward the roots, like a boomerang. The weapon took off like a silver bullet, cutting sharply into the greenery, a deafening screech coming from the beast as it was hit in the core.

All the trees dropped, and the rocks that were levitating came crashing to the ground. Before Aqua got crushed, Terra made a mad dash (in spite of his pain) to grab her and get her out of harms way. He then created a crystallized barrier to protect them from all other falling debris, his muscular frame still covering Aqua just in case something broke through the shield.

The eye of the forest monster, presumably, watched Terra's keyblade return to his hand. The male remained knelt down, his keyblade serving as a defensive mechanism assuming another claw would be coming their way eventually.

To Terra's surprise, nothing happened. In fact, everything seemed to come to a stand still… quite literally. The swirling leaves, branches and sand were all frozen in time. The stones splashing into the lake, the birds in the sky, and the clouds overhead…

All time has stopped.

And quite frankly, it was to Terra's relief.

There was an eerie silence now that everything had stopped moving. Terra let down his force field, all attention on his unconscious comrade. "Aqua…" he pleaded, placing a hand on her cheek. "Aqua… where does it hurt?"

She didn't respond at his first call. It took a second one for her to return, somewhat, to her senses. Energy deprived, she gazed tiredly up at him, the hint of a smile gracing her lips. Normally, he would be _relieved_ to see that face. But under these circumstances, it pained him to see her smile.

"It's… fine, Terra… I'm fine." Her response was weak, but clear. She then lifted her left arm up, hand gripping his shoulder tightly, bringing his head down so she could whisper in his ear. "But… we have to leave this world… now."

Terra blinked, slipping his arm around her to help steady her in a comfortable position. "Leave? We can't leave it like this…"

"I used… a stop spell …" she muttered faintly, losing her grip on his shoulder once he fully supported her body. "While it's still in effect… We have to go…"

Hesitant at first, Terra finally nodded, and lifted her up into his arms. He then summoned Gaia Bane, shifting it into Rider form, getting onto it, keeping Aqua close to him. Before they entered the portal to leave the world, Aqua's keyblade appeared in her left hand.

_Purify_

The words echoed in the air, as a translucent light expanded across the destruction, returning everything to the way it was meant to be. Unsure of whether it was Aqua who cast the spell or Rainstorm, he did know that there was a reason for what just occurred. Taking one last look at the now calm meadow, the four deer came out from hiding, watching as their heroes departed back to the stars.

--

Sora, Ven and now Roxas, ran for the sound of the roar. At the ruins of the Castle Gates, the three wielders summoned their keyblades. Sora turned to Ven, then to Roxas, back to Ven again. "Do you guys see anything?" Both counterparts shook their heads.

"If anything… it's probably going to be something big and noticeable," Roxas pointed out, eyes narrowing. He was really irritated fighting off larger sized enemies.

"Maybe it was your stomach," Sora joked, receiving a disgruntled glare from the Nobody, a devious grin making his annoyance less apparent.

Ven, on the other hand, was far from joking about the same matter. His expression was blank; the light that once emitted from his eyes had vanished. Concerned, Sora gave Ven's shoulder a light pat. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, Roxas peering at him from the other side.

"We were just joking… There probably is something serious going on. We won't kid around anymore… okay?" Roxas reassured his look-alike, but Ven said nothing.

"Ven, hey… it looks like you just saw a ghost or something…" Sora tried to snap him out of his trance, shaking from a bit.

"Ventus?" Roxas tried to help break his even stare, but got nowhere. He then gripped his shoulder. "Come on, wake up…"

Ven gasped as Roxas touched him, a spark at contact causing the two to break away from one another.

"Hey!" Sora looked between the two, not quite aware of what was going on. "You guys… okay?"

There was silence for a brief period of time, before Ven spoke up finally, his trance undisturbed.

"There's something wrong…" he murmured ever so quietly. So quietly, neither Sora nor Roxas could make out what he said.

"Something wrong… something horribly wrong…" the young apprentice could feel it in the pit of his stomach. In a sudden panic, the blond broke from the group, running in the direction of the town.

"Ven!" The remaining two followed, trying to understand what rattled him all of a sudden.

_Ven…_

… _Ven? Are you paying attention?_

_The youngest keyblade apprentice blinked, yawning tiredly as he watched Aqua and Terra spar one another. But just as he closed his eyes, something hit him in the head. _

"_Ouch!" On the grass at his feet was a small rock. Ven picked it up, and tossed it back at Terra, who avoided it easily with a simple side step. "That wasn't funny, Terra."_

"_You need to work on your reflexes, Ven… And concentrate. What we're doing will help motivate you in training," Terra advised, swinging his wooden keyblade about. "The more you learn now, the faster you'll become a keyblade master."_

_Aqua giggled, bringing her hands together behind her back. "Ven… Don't worry about Terra. You can learn at your own pace."_

_Ven smiled, standing up and approaching the elder apprentices. "I'll train hard! Once I become a keyblade master…" Ven looked up between the two, hoping to satisfy them both equally. "We can travel the worlds together! We'll fight off bad guys and everything!"_

"_It seems like you have a dream to hold onto, Ven." Aqua gestured kindly, smiling warmly at him. _

"_But don't be mistaken," Terra ruffled Ven's hair, patting it flat afterwards, "The keyblade is meant to defend. Defend everything you care about; everything, and everyone. Never forget that."_

"_I won't!" Ven grinned, his two best friends watching over him—_

_Disappearing into traces of light…_

_Along with the rest of the scenery of that pleasant memory forming in the back of his mind..._

_I'll never forget…_

_Terra… and Aqua…_

_You really are the only friends I do have…_

_The only friends… _

_I've ever had._

…

Ven made it to the center of Radiant Garden, looking about frantically. He felt as though a part of his heart had just been ripped right out of him. "Terra… Aqua…" he muttered over and over, as if they would just appear out of nowhere, just fine.

No harm done.

But this was all but the case. He knew there was definitely something wrong.

Sora and Roxas finally caught up with the other, watching as he scurried back and forth, scanning the area. "Ven?" Sora tried to calm him down, but he was simply ignored. The brunet turned to exchange a confused glance with Roxas, both boys shrugging their shoulders lightly.

"Ven…" came Roxas' even tone, as he approached the worrisome Ven once again. He was careful to avoid shoulder contact, however. "What is it? Can you tell us?"

Almost as if he were back to normal again, Ven met Roxas' eyes. He still seemed panicked, but nowhere near as badly as before. "There's something wrong."

"Something? What is that something?" Roxas pressed on, watching the other's head shake in regret.

"I don't know… it's Aqua… or Terra… or… both. I don't know." He seemed almost dazed, pacing back and forth now. "Something happened to them… I can feel it in my heart… Something horrible."

"Roxas…" Sora motioned him to come back, and he did as he was called.

"What is it?"

"I think I feel it, too." Sora put a hand to his heart. "Something inside me tells me that something just isn't right… I don't know what, but it doesn't feel good…" For a moment, they said nothing.

"… Do you think something happened to them?"

"I'm beginning to wonder." The two continued to talk amongst themselves as Ven continued his strut.

"This might be something we should look into now," Roxas declared, Sora nodding in agreement. "This mission is important… I know, Sora… But I don't think we can continue… like this."

"I know." The brunet's eyes followed his uneasy companion, as he walked over to stop him from moving constantly.

"We're going to find them, Ven." Roxas approached the other blond, smiling. "We'll find them and get all of this resolved… Okay?"

"…"

"Don't worry Ven. We're here for you, too… Don't forget that." Sora continued to reassure him, patting his shoulder.

"…" Ven remained silent for a moment or two, smiling ever so slightly. "Thank you…" All three of them seemed content now, as they walked back to where the Gummi ship had landed.

Upon boarding and taking off, Ven watched curiously as the stars of the previous world began to fade as they flew further and further away.

"Terra… and Aqua… They're the closest thing I have to a 'family'… if I ever lost them…" he spoke aloud, though to no one in particular. Roxas and Sora overheard him, in spite of his efforts to keep his thoughts concealed.

The rest of the ride was silent. Ven was somewhere in the back part of the ship now, looking at the sky. Sora and Roxas sat in the front area, keeping the auto-pilot function in check.

"… You know…" Sora said after a while, Roxas humming in response to him. "… I don't know them… as well as Ven… but… I can't help but feel his sadness."

"Sora…"

"Everything he's been through… All the things that he's seen… All the things that he's missed…" Sora fell silent again, Roxas watching him idly.

"… Maybe… to end everyone's sadness… … Maybe this is part of the mission, after all."

_There is no coincidence in destiny…_

_Fate is what will guide our hearts… back together again_.

____________

Reviews are so very greatly appreciated.

Thank you all so much, for those who have added this to favorites and reviewed up to this point.

I plan to have this story take a huge turn… Don't worry, I plan to clarify my mistakes… Shortly.


	9. Chapter IX

_Take the Pieces – Build them Skywards _

_Chapter IX_

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney or Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

Thank you to all the reviewers as of right now. And a very special thanks for all of those who added this to their favorites… and such. It's so very kind of you, really… I'm no writer, that's for sure. This is just my pastime hobby… So it means a lot that people are actually fond of this… despite the downfalls.

To answer, I do plan on bringing Axel into the picture… but not just him.

I'll leave the hinting there.

The clarification of Terra, Ven and Roxas is coming up shortly. Might do some hinting within this chapter… but we'll see how it goes. I've found my new motivation to work on this. :3

_________

_Everything is born from sleep…_

_Those born in the light… those born in the darkness…_

_Yes… Even you._

Aqua's head hurt.

In fact, her whole body felt wrecked. Torn into tiny pieces, then glued back together. She couldn't remember what happened before then. She definitely recalled landing in the meadow… but nothing that followed the arrival.

"Terra?" the first thing to come to her mind was her male companion. She knew he was with her when she was blown off the Gummi ship. Her cerulean blue irises fluttered open, as she gazed around her. Her surroundings consisted of sand, and giant rocks boarding what appeared to be the sea.

"_The ocean…?_" she thought to herself, lifting her weight slightly. Even the tiniest of movements harmed her so, as she hissed in pain, holding her right-bandaged arm with the support from her left. Once she regained composure, sh-

Wait… bandaged?

Blinking, she peered down at the cast. There was a splint within a lightweight fabric wrapped gently around her shattered arm. The same stuff was also around her right leg, apparently, and her waist also felt a bit stiffer.

Confused, she couldn't help but to sigh, bitterly. "What happened… to me?" All she could possibly think of is doing something really stupid to knock her out for a good few couple of hours. It wasn't long before she felt the familiar aura of Terra, returning with a bucket.

He smiled, kneeling beside her, glad she was finally awake. He, too, looked pretty roughed up… But not nearly as injured as she was. He could probably take it with greater ease, since he had a well-built body for powerful attacks. "You were sleeping soundly by the time we got here… How is the pain?" he asked, truly worried. She waved aside his question with a gesture of her good hand, and he nodded. "I'm just glad you're okay…"

She returned his smile evenly, even though she was still perplexed. She wanted to know what went down before… But on the other hand, she didn't want to bring it up to him. Something held the question back, although she was unsure what exactly was doing it. Instead, she tried to peer into the bucket. "What's that?"

"Oh…" he dumped the bucket out in front of her, revealing a wide assortment of seashells and other beached trinkets. "I found these while you slept. They're for you. I know how you like these sorts of things."

Aqua's eyes dazzled for a moment at the pretty stones and shells, taking one of the smooth white ones in her hand. She turned it around, and looked inside. It had a multihued, pearly texture, and a simple yet beautiful design around the edges. "They're lovely…" she remarked, seeming to take a liking to the white shell. "Thank you, Terra…" she felt her cheeks flush a bit, noticing his hand on her shoulder.

"You're welcome… Just relax now. It will take a while for you body to heal… Once you've replenished some of your magic, I'm sure you can fix those bones good as new," he said in an assuring tone, a tone she loved to hear from him, especially after all of these years.

The last time she remembered hearing his voice, it was full of bleakness and despair.

She liked it the way it was now… The Terra she knew before what had happened, eleven years back.

In fact… he was acting just like that Terra.

Almost as if he hadn't changed at all…

"By the way, Terra…" she spoke up after some time, Terra wandering down the beach a little ways off. He gave his attention to her, waiting for her to continue. "Where are we… exactly?"

He paused, shoving his hands in his pockets, turning around to face the breathing tides of the endless blue.

"…The Destiny Islands."

--

Sora, Roxas and Ven returned to Disney Castle. Rather than a casual greeting, the three boys were pushed by a series of magic brooms to the King's throne room. Mickey stood beside Queen Minnie, having a serious conversation from what it appeared to be. In almost perfect unison, they took their bows to Queen Minnie, and smiled graciously to them.

"I'm glad you all made it back safely!" she greeted, though the smile soon disappeared. "However… we have not been able to locate your two other friends, Terra or Aqua…" she notified them, regretfully.

"Yeah… we kinda figured," Sora said, scratching the back of his head. "We're trying to figure out where they went, but it's hard without a lead… or a trail to follow."

"There might not be one." Mickey stepped forward, a shadow cast over his features. "It seems they've disappeared from this dimension completely. And to make matters even worse…" the mouse pulled out his journal, flipping it open to a page with a strange heart-like symbol on it.

"This is…" Ven started, but unable to finish.

"You remember?" Mickey peered up at the youngest of the three previous apprentices.

"…" Ven thought for a moment. He then snapped his fingers. "Unverse!" Mickey nodded. "But wait… that means…"

"Yes…" the King shook his head, seemingly devastated. "A giant Unverse appeared… in another world. It seems as though Aqua and Terra were there for a short time… but they eventually disappeared, once the Unverse dissipated as well."

"Could it have swallowed them?" Ven's expression became fearful, but Mickey shook his head.

"I don't believe they were swallowed… But I do believe there is something very wrong here…"

"Giant… Unverse?" Sora immediately traced his memory back to the Groundshaker heartless he encountered in the Pride Lands. Could the two be connected?

As if the thought was read, Mickey elaborated, "This creature was much, **much** larger than any Groundshaker… They have no connection."

"Oh…"

"… You said… there is something very wrong…" Ven recalled, watching the mouse nod. "With Unverse in this day and age?"

"That… but there's something more." He tried to think of a better way to put it, and even had to think his words through before expressing them. "When I located Terra and Aqua… Terra had hardly any energy from the map. And Aqua…" he paused, closing his eyes for a few seconds. "… Aqua had traces of a dark energy in her aura…"

Ven seemed to have fallen into a state of disbelief, his posture reflecting his agitation. "Aqua? … Traces of darkness? … I don't believe you."

"Ven…" Roxas tried to ease him, but went unnoticed.

"Aqua would never give into the darkness! Her heart…" he clenched his fists, suddenly becoming angry. "Her heart is made up of light… She was always that way!"

"Ven, Ven… easy," Sora warned, showing some concern for the other matter. "You said Terra had hardly any energy?"

"Visible energy…" Mickey explained. "A translucent mark appeared, if you will…"

"What could that mean?" Roxas asked, mostly to prevent Ven from running his attitude by the King anymore.

"One of two things… Either he's only present in a form that has no _physical_ presence to it… Or he is a figment of our memories…" The only response he earned from the three was a puzzled tilt of the head by each of them. "… Meaning… The Terra we see now exists because he had been thought of the way from a past life."

"Aqua and Ven brought him back at the Keyblade Graveyard…" Sora noted. "But… I fought him… A while ago… … I think… And…" He dug in the back of his mind for the exact memory of the fight. "Every time I hit his armor… I don't know, maybe it's just me… but… It was definitely hollow sounding."

Ven only stared at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. It took a few tries, but he was finally able to find his voice. "Are you telling me… that the Terra we see is nothing but an illusion?"

All but Ven exchanged a few glances. Suddenly, another figure appeared in a faint light; Xion. She smiled at the group, stepping out in a semi-solid form. "Ven… The reason why Terra is here is because you and Aqua brought back the reminiscence of him." A hint of sorrow filled her voice. "He's not real… His thoughts… his true feelings… They resided in the armor that Sora had fought… A Lingering Sentiment, the sentiment of Terra."

"The same armor we met at the Graveyard…? Are you sure…?" Sora asked, looking between Ven and Xion. Hesitant at first, she gave a brief nod.

"What about my friend, Terra?" Ven muttered. "Where is he…?"

"…" No one was sure how to answer, not even Xion.

"Your friend Terra has fallen into the darkness…" a voice came from the shadows. All four keybearers turned immediately, summoning their keyblades, Mickey as well, and Minnie simply stepped behind him. The voice laughed. "The darkness engulfed his heart… and he is left to sleep."

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Sora demanded, stepping in front of the others.

"Sleep… him, and all the rest of you… poor unfortunates…" The concealed figure gazed up at Ven, and smirked. "But you… the youngest of your companions… You were lucky. You have woken… And so has the Master…" the voice sounded almost satisfied. "… But the Master is first… Always first for everything… Unfortunately, this one finished last… Let us start with that one."

"First? The Master?" Ven was befuddled. This mysterious person was talking in circles.

"… There are still others waiting for you… Young apprentice, will you be able to overcome the hardships you have yet to face?"

Sora blinked, noticing that he was the one being spoken to. "I _know_ there are others… I'm dealing with this the best that I can!"

"Time is running thin…" the figure pulled an hourglass from the air, but the sand had froze in place. "It's not good to take momentary breaks…" the sand then began to trickle to the bottom of the glass. "You may take all the time in the world… but they can't. Instead, they are held in the frozen clutches of the hands… Care to thaw them out? I'm sure they'd appreciate the sensation to move on with the pace of life again…"

Silence.

". . . What, in the name of all that is _light,_ was that supposed to mean. . . !?" Ven sounded exasperated, flailing his arms in the air. It seemed to catch everyone by surprise. "What are you trying to do!? Be some damned mysterious jerk who speaks in stupid, whipped-out-of-the-pocket, _riddles_!? I just want my friends back! But here you are, trying to mess with my head, telling me that they are going to be facing inevitable doom! What is **wrong** with you!?"

"… Actually… I think we just got our first real piece of advice," Xion realized that yes, it was a riddle, but it gave away a huge piece of the puzzle. To Ven's dismay, the figure had gone during his rant.

"… I don't get it." Sora freely admitted, the rest of the group sighing at his clueless, nervous grin.

"Time… In sleep, time doesn't pass. It stands still. Here, we have the power to use time and waste it away… Those who are in sleep haven't any time to spend… Being frozen… That was you, Ven… You remember?" Said boy thought as Xion spoke.

"Yeah, I was frozen… but that doesn't explain the 'thaw-out' part…"

"Yeah it does…" Roxas came in. "We've been given an order… First was Aqua, the Master…"

"… The first Master of the three of us…" Ven said aloud, his eyes unmoving from a tile on the ground. Xion nodded.

"The second… You… Frozen in time…and then to be thawed out…" Xion stopped speaking.

"One of us might think Terra is the third… but it's not him, is it?" Sora asked.

"… No… It's Axel…" All eyes turned to Roxas. "His specialty… Lies with the flames. Fire thaws out ice…"

"So Axel? Axel's the one we have to save?"

"Yeah… but Ven," Sora had his sole focus on the blond, "I don't know who that was… or what they want… but for now, we have nothing else to work from. We'll have to see where the riddle leads us…"

Untrusting to the stranger, Ven was not in full support of the idea. But he had faith in Sora, hence why he entrusted his heart with the brunet.

"… All right."

Sora smiled.

"Everything will work out… Just you wait."

--

It felt as though it had been well over three hours, but all Aqua knew was her magic was slowly returning to her. She could feel the energy surging throughout her veins, and it definitely made her feel more alive. Terra had disappeared somewhere, but she was unconcerned.

"As long as I know you're safe, Terra…" she smiled inwardly, taking her blue charm from her pocket. Something was strange though. She gazed at it awkwardly, noticing that it had hardly any reaction to Terra's charm.

It was then, something occurred to her.

Still weak, she gathered enough strength to summon her keyblade to use as a crutch, as she headed toward the ocean. She watched it for a while, before she noticed something different about it. Along the horizon line, a thin dark purple veil cast over the surface, eventually hitting the shore. Gasping slightly, Aqua leapt back, landing on her left knee, the keyblade serving as her right leg's support.

Searching for Terra, she shouted out to him. "Terra! There is something wrong…" she whispered the last part, though with no intention to. The darkness seemed to retreat a few inches, but shot back up, engulfing Aqua's form entirely. It was numbing, which served a good purpose as well, for she was easily able to forget her fractured limbs were even broken.

… Even regarding that fact, she refused to let that overtake her conscious. "No… the darkness can't serve such a purpose… a positive one? … I… I don't know…" her thoughts began to fade, as she was lulled into sleep.

It was happening… the darkness was taking control of her.

… Or rather, it was _using_ control to take her.

"No… no good can come from darkness…"

"… _Look what it did to Terra_…"

"… _Terra… where are you?"_

--

--

--

Something cold was rushing against her skin…

"… Water…? … Maybe…" Aqua's once distant thoughts became clearer as she woke. Surely, this time, she was definitely awake. Except now, her body was not wrapped up. Her bones must have healed though, because she could move her right side limbs as easily as she was able to before.

It definitely felt as though she were trapped in a watery vortex. But as she opened her eyes, she realized she was falling down from nothingness. In fact, she wasn't even in water. Perhaps it was the thick miasma lingering in the empty space that made it feel heavier than it should, much like water.

As she slowed down upon nearing the end of her fall, she landed back on her feet. There she stood, in the center of what seemed to be like a never-ending blackness. Her eyes wandered, taking a single step ahead. As her armored boot hit the center, a burst of fragmented light hit her eyes. She shielded them with enough time to catch the shards turning into white doves, fluttering away into the darkness.

The platform had now taken the form of a stainglass, illustrated with her sleeping form, Master Eraqus, Terra and Ven's faces surrounding her, the three charms she had sewn on all sides of the circle, and many other representations pertaining to her innermost memories.

_Aqua…_

"… Master?"

She looked around, waiting for her Master's faint form to appear before her. Of course, it hadn't… But shortly, the image on the glass underfoot began to animate, causing Aqua to jump in surprise. The image of Eraqus smiled back at her.

"To see you again… it truly means the world to me…" On the verge of tears, Aqua knew that it was only his spirit speaking to her. It made her feel like she truly was alone, but in another sense, not.

"And to see you, Master Aqua… It has been so long… I had almost given up hope in speaking with you once more."

"Once more…?"

"… I can't stay here forever." Eraqus couldn't stand to see the helpless look on his apprentice's face. "But I must tell you something before I leave…"

"Master… anything… I wish for your departure not to be left in vain." Seeing him leave was devastating, but it was something she could make up by listening to his final request: a final mission for her to complete.

A single nod of the Master's head, and Aqua stood at full attention. "Master Aqua… For your final mission…"

He paused, noticing a stream of tears trickling down her cheeks, past her faint smile, dripping from her chin to the surface of the glass.

"… You are to allow your heart to guide you to do what you believe is right. For the realms, for your friends… and for yourself."

Her smile disappeared, as she stared down at the images beneath her. The face of Terra suddenly animated itself as well, nodding to her as if to tell her that everything would be fine. Ven's expression eventually followed Terra's, but he smiled at his blue-haired friend.

"Terra… Ven…" she muttered, her lips curving upwards to form that smile once more. She closed her eyes, the streams of tears turning into miniscule threads of light.

"Aqua… Let the light guide you out from this place… I know you will find your way. I put all of my trust in you… Farewell. And send my regards to the others."

With those last words, the whole stainglass faded into feather-like tiles, shattering upwards rather than downwards. Her body lifted from the platform, to the sky, away from the Awakening station forever.

The tears that had fallen eventually took on the form of free flying spirit wisps, taking off into the shadows below, with the heart of Master Eraqus.

…

"Huh… the sky seems further away… much further than usual…"

Ven opened one of his tired eyes. He was lying down in the Gummi ship, staring at the sky from the sky-roof. Even though he wasn't in space, it was still fun to look at. Sora approached him, taking a seat at his side.

"Going on adventures is fun, huh?" Sora asked, trying to lift his mood.

"Yeah…" Ven smiled. "When we all were to become Masters… I promised Terra and Aqua we would go on lots of adventures…"

"… Well, you still can! In fact…"

"… In fact what?"

"… You've been keeping your promise this whole time.

"Huh…"

Both boys stared up at the sky together, wondering just what was becoming of the distant worlds above.

They were also thinking of how they were going to save them all.

_You've never truly been lost…_

_You were here, all along…_

_Right here... in my heart._

_______________

Oh man… this was so much fun to type…

I may missed a few typos... it's 1:30 in the morning. Hah. xD

Reviews are kindly appreciated. Thank you!


End file.
